


There Are (no) Dead Ends

by CandyAshes



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Tadashi Lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-09
Updated: 2015-05-25
Packaged: 2018-02-28 18:54:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 85,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2743451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CandyAshes/pseuds/CandyAshes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It is said that when your parents die, you lose your past. When your spouse dies, you lose your present. And when your child dies, you lose your future. However, when your sibling dies, you lose your past, present, and future. [AU where Hiro dies and Tadashi forms the superhero team]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Five Stages: Denial

_"Tadashi, no!"_

_"Callaghan is in there. **Someone**  has to help."_

That's what Tadashi told him before Hiro watched his brave, selfless older brother disappear into the building.

Hiro couldn't bear to stand by helplessly, panicking and wondering if his brother, best friend, and his entire world would ever come out safe. He picked up Tadashi's cap, his mind is made up. He will not lose his brother like this.

* * *

 

It was an inferno inside the showcase hall, and it was difficult to see through the rising-orange flames while the smoke filled his  lungs. Yet Tadashi had to find Professor Callaghan. However, it became too dangerous for him to go any further and Tadashi was forced to make a painful decision; there is no way he can save his teacher and get them out together in time. The fire is too powerful.

Tadashi withdrew quickly and flung himself outside where he is finally safe. Guilt began to eat up inside him, he has failed to save the professor. He hoped the fire department was immediately called so they can try to rescue him in time. There is a crowd gathering nearby, they watch in horror as the flames eat up the building. The robotics engineering student scanned around, looking for his little brother who was supposed to be waiting for him.

"Hiro?" he called out. _"Hiro?!_ _Has anyone seen my brother?!”_

A student hurried over towards him. He was holding Hiro’s hoodie jacket. Tadashi grabbed him, panic began to rise in his chest. “Why do you have that? Where’s my brother?!”

The student’s face turned pale. “After you went in to save Callaghan, your kid brother got so worried for you. I tried to stop him, but…”

Tadashi’s heart sank and his blood turned to ice. He was about to hurry back inside the hall when a deafening boom knocked him to the ground. The building has exploded.

Tadashi could only scream as the fire engulfed the entire entrance.

_**"HIRO...!!"** _

* * *

Tadashi retreated to his room after everyone has gone home and gave him their condolences. But they were cold and empty to him, he couldn’t feel anything at all during the funeral.

As he removed his coat, he saw his brother’s swivel chair facing the computer. It seemed like yesterday he caught Hiro surfing online for botfights right after they came home from going jail. It was also that same night he got Hiro interested to apply for SFIT.

He still couldn't believe his brother is taken away from him in a flash of fire and light.  _No. He refused to believe it._  He always hanged on to that tiniest hope that that his brother somehow has survived and is just recovering in a hospital somewhere. Probably waiting for Tadashi to get him, and when he gets better, both Hamada boys could attend SFIT together and create world-changing inventions together just like both brothers always dreamed of.

A small part of Tadashi wondered if he should have kept his mouth shut that night. He should have just driven Hiro to another bot fight like his brother wanted; if he didn’t bring Hiro to that college, he would never build the microbots, attend the showcase, and…

Tadashi walked over to Hiro’s chair and spin it around. He expected to see his little brother’s snarky, guilty expression. There was nothing.

Hiro is gone.

* * *

"Are you sure you’re ready to go back to SFIT, Tadashi?" Aunt Cass gently asked him before he walked out of the cafe. "It’s been three days, it’s okay to stay home if you want."

Tadashi gave her a small cheerful smile. It was forced, but he didn’t want to worry her. “I’ll be alright, Aunt Cass,” he said. “I’ll see you later~”

"Okay, then. If you need me, you can always call—" She didn’t manage to finish her words, her nephew has already left.

* * *

Tadashi’s friends were surprised to see him walking into the campus as well.

"Are you really okay, Tadashi? We’re so worried about you," Honey said. She placed a soft hand on his shoulder, but the inventor shrugged it off.

Tadashi just nodded. “Of course, I am. It still hurts that Hiro’s gone…” He paused and stared at the ground. His lips then form into a hopeful smile.

“But Hiro isn’t really gone, as long as we remember him, right? He wouldn’t want me moping around forever.”

Fred grinned and wrapped an arm around his friend’s shoulder. “We’re proud of you for being brave, man. We promise not to forget your little bro, and we’ll be here to support ya! Oh, this school mascot has been working on some new spinning moves, you have to see them…”

"Oh no," Wasabi groaned. "Is this really the right time?"

Gogo just looked at Tadashi without saying a word. Tadashi doesn’t know what she’s thinking, and it’s beginning to annoy him a little. However, this will not ruin his day and he’s going to face it head-on.

"Alrighty, let’s get going—" Tadashi spoke up but he was interrupted by Wasabi.

"Hey look, Tadashi. It’s the memorial the other students set up."

Tadashi stopped and stared the memorial at the entrance of SFIT. There are two photographs, one for Professor Callaghan and one for Hiro Hamada. The pictures were surrounded by candles and flowers that were set there by students. Tadashi slowly approached the memorial and stared at his brother’s picture. Hiro’s face and his toothy smile radiated like sunshine, yet it was lifeless like a shadow.

Tadashi’s chest tightened but he swallowed back his sobs. Without another word, he marched into the campus without looking back. Gogo, Wasabi, Honey, and Fred were left behind as they watched him go, their faces fell with sadness.

* * *

He couldn’t concentrate on his classes today. As much as he tried to pay attention to the lessons, Tadashi often found his mind drifting to somewhere else. His teachers were patient with him though, and they didn’t gave him homework today since they assume he’s still hurting after what happened to his kid brother and they didn’t want to burden him.

Tadashi, however, was irritated that they’re pitying him. He doesn’t want anyone feeling sorry for him, this is HIS problem and pain—not theirs—he’s facing. After classes ended, instead of retreating to his workstation like he always did before, Tadashi decide to leave early.

"Do you want to hang out with us later, Tadashi?" Honey asked, trying to cheer him the best as she could. "Wasabi’s treating us to dinner at this sushi restaurant. You know, the one where we hang out together a couple of times."

"The same place where I spilled wasabi on my shirt one time," Wasabi chuckled. "I don’t mind my nickname anymore… But Hiro would have love the place—"

Tadashi forced a grin, his hand tightening its grip on the strap of his bag. “No, you guys go on without me. I’ve got plenty of homework to catch up, especially the new ones piled up on me.”

"What new homework?" Gogo scoffed before popping her bubblegum.

Tadashi gave her a quick, dirty look. Before he can leave, Fred jumped in front of him, holding up his arms out.

"C’mon, Tadashi," Fred said. "Let me hug you. You look like you need one—"

"Not now, Fred," Tadashi mumbled, pushing him away. He ignored his friends’ pained expressions. He just wanted to be left alone.

Tadashi left the Robotics Lab building. The sun’s blaring rays hurt his eyes, and Tadashi wished he still has his baseball cap to cover them. His favorite cap is probably lost in the fire too, along with Hiro.

His heart began to ache terribly, as though someone is squeezing the life out of it.

Before he can completely leave the campus, Tadashi went back to the entrance and removed the memorial photograph of Hiro away. He cannot stand anyone looking at the picture of his lost brother, hear them part a few words that seemed shallow instead of genuine before going on their merry way.

* * *

Aunt Cass was surprised to see her nephew home earlier than she expected, but she welcomed him home with a warm smile.

"I’m so proud of you, Honey, for being so brave going to school today," she told him. A lightbulb lit up inside her head. She wanted to do something special for him. "I’m going to cook you something some chicken wings tonight. You know the spicy ones that seem to melt your face off?" She made movements of her hands fanning her face. "Hiro really loved them, he thought his face would burn up into flames—"

She saw Tadashi’s expression froze and she realized what she just said. Her face broke. “Tadashi, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean—!”

"Sorry, Aunt Cass. I don’t feel like eating tonight anyway," Tadashi said stiffly.

The inventor walked up the stairs, just in time to hear his aunt breaking into low sobs. When he reached his bedroom, he saw Mochi curling up on top of Hiro’s jacket lying on Hiro’s bed. The jacket is what was left of his brother.

Blood boiling with rage, he began screaming at Mochi, _**"Get out, you stupid cat!"**_

The calico cat gave him a sad look before jumping off from Hiro’s bed and walking away. Now that he’s alone, Tadashi takes out the picture of Hiro he managed to snatch from the memorial. He removed the frame, tossing it into the trashcan, and placed the photograph near his own bed on his side of the room.

Tadashi sighed as fatigue began to take hold of him. He felt extremely tired. He changed into his bed clothes and flopped on the bed. He felt like sleeping early tonight, but his body is starting to hurt all over him. He ignored it and forced himself to sleep, but his dreams were plagued by nightmares of Hiro crying out for his older brother’s name, before they were silenced by the crackling flames.

* * *

Tadashi thought going back to SFIT yesterday was bad, but returning to school today is actually worse. Every student is either avoiding or coming over to give him their sympathy. He eventually got tired of it that he told his friends that he won’t be joining with them for lunch.

"I’m just gonna go grab a bite somewhere else," he said. "Don’t worry, I’ll be back before the next class starts."

This was a lie. He just doesn’t want to see or talk with anyone else today. He revved up his moped and left the campus immediately. He zoomed through the streets of San Fransokyo, feeling lost in his grief and emptiness. He decided to take a ‘scenic route’ through the dinghy alleys, since he didn’t feel like immediately coming straight home at this moment.

As he passed through the shadowy alleys, he realized this is the same place where he rescued Hiro from being beaten up by Yama’s men after he destroyed Yama’s robot. He snorted to himself, what was his brother thinking—going to illegal botfights and risking himself getting hurt or arrested. Then again, if he had let Hiro continue doing what he was good at, then he wouldn’t lost his life in the fire…

Tadashi wasn't paying attention when he saw a figure of a kid running into a corner. A kid about fourteen-years-old, with spiky black hair and wearing a familiar dark-blue hoodie…

"Hiro?!" Tadashi gasped. He stopped his moped and ran after the kid. It couldn’t be, Hiro died in the accident.

Mind racing and heart bursting with hope, Tadashi chased after the shadowy figure of his brother through the alleys on foot. Where is Hiro going?

"Hiro, where are you going?" he called out to him. Tears of happiness began to leak out from the corner of his eyes. "It’s me, Tadashi! Your niisan! I can’t believe it—you’re alive!"

Hiro didn’t seem to listen to his older brother. He continued running and until he turned to another corner. Tadashi followed him into an open area that was just a dead end. Hiro is nowhere in sight.

Tadashi’s body went paralyzed with shock before crumpling to the ground. His grieving sobs echoed throughout the entire area.

* * *

As the days passed, Tadashi often skipped classes to the point he eventually stopped coming to SFIT. Returning to school was supposed to take his mind from Hiro’s death and so he can appear strong for everybody, but it only made him missed his little brother even more.

On days he skipped classes Tadashi, like a lost little child, would wander around the areas he knows Hiro often visited, hoping that he would find a glimpse of his brother—alive and safe—and hold him once more.

It did nothing good for him. Sorrow, bitterness, and loneliness continue plaguing his mind and body each day. Tadashi not only stopped attending school, he also stopped going outside by keeping himself isolated from everyone in his bedroom. He ignored all the phone calls and e-mails his friends tried to contact him. Aunt Cass still kept trying to help him and ease his pain, but all her efforts ended up in vain.

Tadashi is having difficulties sleeping. One night, he woke up again from his usual nightmares and found his pillow soaked from his tears.

It became like a regular thing for him, dreaming of his brother’s death and seeing hallucinations of his brother almost everywhere; it’s as though Death is still mocking him by reminding him how useless he was by allowing himself to save someone’s life out of the kindness of his own heart only to let his brother to die thanks to him.

 _Hiro isn’t really gone, as long as we remember him…_ What a load of crock! It still hurts to this day! Hiro is gone because of Tadashi’s stupid kindess and foolish habit of helping people.

Tadashi eyes scanned around his surroundings, trying to find something that will stop the pain. His eyes landed on the red portable box that contained his greatest project, the caregiver robot Baymax. The same robot he showed off to Hiro, who was impressed by his big brother’s invention.

No, he doesn’t need a nursebot. He needed something else.

He needed his brother.

Tadashi got up and walked over to Hiro’s side of the room. He then returned to his bed, holding Hiro’s Megabot close to his heart. He kissed the battle bot, pretending he was kissing his little brother goodnight.

 _"I love you, Hiro…"_ Tadashi whispered in his Japanese language as fresh tears began to burn his eyes once more. He curled up into a fetal position, crying quietly to sleep.


	2. Five Stages: Isolation and Anger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tadashi’s four friends visit a depressed, isolated inventor who wants nothing to do with them. Baymax is activated and tries to help him too.

It was another afternoon at San Fransokyo. Tadashi stared out the window of his room which overlooked the street of his neighborhood. It was a beautiful day and he could see a cherry blossom tree blooming at one corner, as well as passerbys going to and fro without a care in the world. Yet, Tadashi felt no peace or joy from this beautiful day.

The young robotics student has isolated himself in his bedroom ever since that tragic accident; the day his entire world has been taken away from him. He could no longer feel any desire or motivation to return to SFIT and continue his studies. All he could do is sit in the empty room, alone, feeling gloomier and emptier as the days passed. He then heard his aunt’s familiar, warm voice.

"Tadashi?" Aunt Cass gently called out to him. "Tadashi, your friends are here!"

Tadashi didn’t move his spot from the window nor he looked up. However he replied in a monotone voice, “Right. Okay.”

"Go right in," Aunt Cass gestured Tadashi’s four friends from college into the bedroom.

Wasabi thanked her before cautiously approaching his friend. “Hey, Tadashi,” he smiled.

Tadashi’s expression became sullen and he crossed his arms. He seemed rather irritated than glad to see his friends and he kept looking out the window.

"Why did you come here?" he demanded.

"Well," Wasabi began, "we haven’t seen you for a few weeks, so…"

"And now you’ve seen me," Tadashi snapped. His harsh tone made Honey and Wasabi uncomfortable, while Gogo just kept her distance. Silence filled the room.

Cass’ head peeked out from the stairs. “Excuse me, I’m going to make some juice with muffins. Would you kids like some too?”

"Oooh, are they blueberry?!" Fred piped up. He always loved free food.

However, Tadashi spoke again. “Thanks, Aunt Cass, but there’s no need. They were just about to leave.”

Wasabi sighed and gave the woman an apologetic look. “Yeah… We stopped by drop off his homework.”

"Oh. All right," Cass said. She looked disappointed and left them alone this time.

Gogo, fed up with Tadashi’s icy attitude, stepped forward. “Okay, I’m really leaving. Who do you think you are, treating us like this?” she growled.

"Gogo," Wasabi groaned. Their visit isn’t going smoothly as he planned and Gogo is making it worse for them.

"I didn’t ask you to come here!" Tadashi said angrily, finally turning his head to look at his friends. He hasn’t seen them since the funeral. Why do they have to be here, just to remind him what happened that day…

"We were worried, Tadashi," Honey said in a meek voice. "Ever since the accident, you’ve been—"

"Different? Completely changed? I’ve course I am!" Tadashi interrupted her. "What happened at the showcase hall was a bad accident and there was nothing I could do about it!" He was talking about the people who are gone like Professor Callaghan… and Hiro.

Tadashi glanced over to his brother’s empty bed which remained untouched. Hiro Hamada’s favorite hoodie jacket lay on the center, missing its young owner. Tadashi walked over to the bed and gently touched Hiro’s jacket, trying to remember his brother wearing it.

"Even if my brother’s no longer here, I’m going to keep his bed neat and orderly, and remember to keep his battle bot collections clean," Tadashi said softly. "I…"

He felt Wasabi’s huge, comforting hand on his shoulder. Tadashi finally broke down into tears.

 _"I missed him,"_ the inventor cried, his voice full of anguish.

Wasabi rubbed his friend’s back as the others crowd againts him, to give him their support. “Tadashi, what happened was terrible, but you’ve got to be strong now.”

"Nobody’s ever going to forget Hiro, man," Fred said. "And nobody’s asking you too."

Honey added, “But locking yourself in this room won’t solve anything.”

"Right," Gogo said, nodding. "You can’t spend all your time like…"

"A recluse, Gogo?" Tadashi finished for her. He dried his tears and stared coldly at the smaller girl. Gogo wasn’t intimidated.

"Bingo," she said. "I know how you feel about, Hiro… but what you’re doing is unhealthy and an insult to his memory."

Tadashi’s eyes narrowed and his hands formed into fists. “How… dare you! How can you say things like that?!”

"Yeah, you’re kinda going overboard here, Gogo!" Fred quickly covered Gogo’s mouth with his hand and pushed her away. He chuckled nervously. "Pay no attention to her, Tadashi, I understand how you…"

"What could you possibly understand?" Tadashi asked. He raised his voice and prodded a finger at Fred’s chest. "You don’t know anything! When did you ever lost a sibling?!"

Fred’s face fell. “Tadashi…”

Tadashi lost his patience, his friends should have never have come in the first place. They brought too much trouble for him already and they don’t really understand what he’s going through. Anger and despair filled him to the point he was shaking all over.

He wants to be left alone now.

"Get out," he ordered.

"We—" Wasabi began but Tadashi threw Megabot at their direction, and the fighting bot missed them. Tadashi then screamed, **"PLEASE!!"**

The four hurried down the stairs to the bakery where they found Cass behind the counter. She read their expressions perfectly that their visit didn’t help Tadashi at all.

* * *

The group stepped out of the cafe since Tadashi didn't want nothing to do with them.

"Well, we gave it our best shot!" Fred said, folding his arms behind his head. "It didn't go so well, huh?"

"It would've gone better if Gogo hadn't said those things to Tadashi," Wasabi blurted out. He turned to glare at the shorter girl. "What on earth were you thinking?"

Gogo was taken aback, a small flash of genuine hurt crossed her face. “Now you’re angry at me too?” she asked.

"Of course I am!" Wasabi said. "You were too hard on Tadashi. We should be helping him now that he’s very down."

Gogo’s lips thinned into a frown before turning away from the group.

"You can say that again," she said in a low voice, "but he keeps shutting us away. If you ever feel like needing my assistance again to help Tadashi, you know my number. But right now— I need to be somewhere."

"Gogo, wait!" Honey called out to her, but Gogo was already leaving. The tall girl looked at her remaining friends with a guilty expression on her face. "I’m sorry to leave you guys right now. I’ll try to calm her down. I’ll see you two later."

Then Honey left as well, quickly catching up to Gogo. Now it’s just Fred and Wasabi alone, standing in the middle of the sidewalk.

"What a crummy afternoon," Fred said sadly, tucking his hands into his pockets. He felt so useless ever since the showcase incident and the funeral. He could only give words of comfort, yet he wished he could have done more for Tadashi.

"What do we do now, Wasabi?"

Wasabi sighed. He usually comes prepared with anything, whether it’s breath mints or extra pair of underwear; and there’s his whole “system” of organizing and planning things ahead, so he knows what to do in a situation. However, everything is falling apart, and his grieving friend isn’t improving so much. And there’s nothing else the neatnik could do.

"I don’t know, Fred. I just don’t know…"

* * *

Tadashi watched his friends leaving one by one from his window. He closed the blinds, blocking all light from entering the bedroom. His heart is still racing from those burst of emotions he screamed at his friend.

His friends’ words continue ringing in his head but his heart couldn't be softened enough. Why do they even bother coming all the way here when he told them he doesn’t want to see them in person? He didn’t ask for their help in the first place. They wanted to do something nice for him, thinking their words and touches could cheer him up.

 _How dumb!_ he thought grimly. _I don’t want consolation from anybody._ _I don’t need anything! I just want to be left alone for as long as I feel like it…_

Lonely silence filled the room, absent of the sound of a certain young boy fiddling with his toy robots whenever they get broken. Tadashi’s eyes moved across Hiro’s desk and they fell on the admission letter from SFIT. The ticket to Hiro’s supposed dream…

Anger filled him, he grabbed the letter and tore it into two. He balled it up and threw it away, landing between Hiro’s bed and the wall. When he calmed down, he realized what he just did. He was about to walk over to retrieve the torn up letter when he tripped over the fighting bot, Megabot, that was lying on the floor near Hiro’s bed.

Tadashi tried to grab onto the shelf above Hiro’s dresser to catch himself—and it broke with a snap and he fell sharply, wedging himself between the bed and the dresser. For extra humiliation, the shelf had tipped down and the robot toys that were lined up all slid off.

"Ow!" Tadashi cried when the toys landed painfully his head.

Then he saw something moving from his side of the room. He stared as a familiar white shape rose and began to take form. He watched a fully inflated Baymax shuffled to where he is, knocking a few stuff over with his enormous round body.

"Hello," he finally spoke, waving his hand. "I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion. Hello, Tadashi."

"Hey, Baymax," Tadashi greeted him back, feeling embarrassed to be stuck in a tight space and buried in toy robots. "It’s been a while since I talked to you, huh?"

Baymax looked curiously at his creator. “I heard a sound of distress, and you seemed to have fallen.”

Tadashi snorted. “Nooo, you think so?”

A chart of icons with smiling and frowning faces representing degrees of pain appeared on Baymax’s chest. “On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain, Tadashi?” he asked.

"Not now, Baymax," Tadashi grunted, trying to wriggle himself free.

To his surprise, Baymax reached down to pick up Tadashi, cradling him like a baby and placed him gently on top of Hiro’s bed. "It is alright to cry. Crying is a natural response to pain," Baymax said. He leaned forward. "May I offer some medical assistance, Tadashi?"

"No!" Tadashi shouted. "I don’t need assistance!"

He rubbed his head, clearly in pain after falling over. He gets up from Hiro’s bed, trying to get away from Baymax. However, the robot is relentless.

"Please do not get up quickly to prevent disorientation. I suggest some rest to alleviate the head injury."

"I’m okay, and I don’t need rest. I have plenty already," Tadashi holds up his hands to stop him. Why did he have to build a robot to be so pushy?

"My sensors detect you are experiencing lack of sleep, poor diet, and mood swings" Baymax suddenly said. "This is unusual since you are in excellent health."

Tadashi went quiet and looked away from his robot. Baymax tilted his head in confusion. “What seems to be the problem, Tadashi?”

"It’s… nothing," Tadashi replied, trying to avoid his gaze. He couldn't bring himself talk to Baymax any further.

"I would like to help you, Tadashi," Baymax insisted.

 _You can't. Nobody can_ , the inventor thought sadly. He walked over to his side of the room and picked up the red portable suitcase. “Okay, big fella, it’s time go back to your box. I am satisfied with—”

"Hiro."

At the mention of his little brother’s named, Tadashi turned around to see Baymax holding Hiro’s hoodie. The same one Hiro wore to the SFIT showcase.

 ** _"Hey, don’t touch that!!"_** Tadashi screamed, dropping the suitcase. He ran over and snatched it away from his robot’s hands. _“You can’t touch things without permission—”_

A small metallic object slipped out from one of the hoodie’s pockets and fell to the floor, alerting both Tadashi and Baymax’s attention. Tadashi recognized it as a microbot, it was part of Hiro’s of invention he used in his demonstration.

He was stunned to see it vibrating and shaking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Tadashi's grief and how he dealt with personal loss is different compared to Hiro's in the movie, so expect some moments where he acts like a jerk sometimes. Don't worry, he will get better soon.))


	3. Terrifying Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tadashi and Baymax follow Hiro's microbot to an abandoned warehouse.

Tadashi slowly picked up Hiro's microbot and examined it closely. He could not understand why it's still moving without the rest of its friends. He looked around and picked up a petri dish and put the microbot in it, covering it tight so it won't escape. He placed the petri dish on the desk so he could look at it closely.

"This doesn't make sense," Tadashi said finally. He turned to Baymax. "This is a microbot--Hiro's invention. This thing's attracted to the rest of his pals, and he used it for his demonstration. But they were all destroyed in the fire. So, why is it still moving...?"

"It seems your tiny robot is trying to go somewhere," Baymax pointed out.  

Tadashi stared at him, incredulous. "What? Don't be ridiculous. Besides, where would it go?"

"Maybe to find the rest of of its friends," the nursebot replied.

"I told you, the rest of Hiro's microbots are destroyed in the fire. This thing is just... lost." Tadashi mood dropped at the last word, realizing how he and the small bot are not so different.

"Would finding out where the tiny robot wants to go would stabilize your emotional distress?"

"Baymax, please. I'm not _distressed_ \--I'm being _realistic!_ "

The inventor could feel his heart breaking, moving away from Baymax so he can stare at the walls. Emotions began piling up inside his chest while head is filled with conflicted thoughts. He wanted to be left alone as usual, he doesn't want anything to do with Hiro's microbot since it painfully reminded him of the tragic accident. Yet a small part of him does want to know why the microbot is still working, even though it might lead him on a wild goose chase. He heard Baymax's squeaky balloon footsteps approaching him until they stopped. His robot is standing behind him. Tadashi turned around to see Baymax carrying the dish holding the lone microbot, still shaking.

"Tadashi, do you want to find out where it wants to go?" he asked kindly.

Tadashi stared at Baymax for one whole minute. He sighed and shook his head. "I must be out of my mind." The inventor grabbed his gray cardigan and dark green blazer, and put them on quickly. Taking the petri dish, he was about to leave the room when he heard Baymax following him.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I am going with you," Baymax answered. "You are my patient, I want to make sure your health is taken care of."

Tadashi shook his head and affectionately patted his chest. "Sorry, pal, you're too delicate to be taken around somewhere yet. I'm just gonna do this myself." At this moment, Mochi the cat came up from the stairs and cautiously approached Tadashi, meowing. The robotics student gently picked him and placed him in Baymax's arms. 

"Here, play with Mochi while I'm gone. Just be careful not to let his claws pop you," Tadashi said, smiling a little. Then he went down the stairs, leaving a confused Mochi looking at the marshmallow-like being.

"Hello, fluffy feline, I am Baymax," said the robot.

* * *

 Tadashi sneaked out the back door so he wouldn't let his aunt know that he's leaving. He was glad that the Lucky Cat Cafe is full of customers, so at least Aunt Cass is doing something to keep her busy for a couple hours before he comes back. He decided take his moped since it'll be quicker for him to find the unknown location where the microbot is going.

He went to the garage to get his moped. The same garage he and Hiro turned into a lab so Tadashi can use it for his college homework and projects, and Hiro using to make his battle bots. All the multiple computer terminals and 3-D printers were covered in cloth out of respect for Hiro's memory. Tadashi grabbed his helmet, started up his moped, and then drove into the streets.

He is unaware that a red portable suitcase containing a caregiver robot is following him on his own set of wheels under the box-shaped suitcase.

Tadashi made his way downtown, keeping a close watch where the microbot is leading him while avoiding cars and pedestrians. He noticed that the microbot seems to be point to one direction and its movements became more erratic each time he thought came closer to his destination. Tadashi had thought the small bot is malfunctioning but now he had to consider the possibility that it wasn't and something suspicious is up.

Now burning with curiosity, Tadashi now wanted to see where the tiny bot is leading him. It felt so strange doing this, as though it reminded of him all those times he sewed GPS trackers on every Hiro's hoodies so he could keep tabs on him. Sure he was being overprotective to the point it gets questionable, but he's always their to bail Hiro out of trouble. He started chuckling to himself when he remembered the last time he tried to drive Hiro away from Yama and his tough-looking goons who were part of an illegal bot fighting ring, the two brothers ended up in jail. Even though it wasn't exactly funny, he still found himself grinning and shaking his head.

"That knucklehead, what was he thinking..." he muttered. He felt tears forming but he quickly wiped his eyes dry with one hand.

* * *

Tadashi parked his moped near a shop near the run-down industrial part of the city and continued on foot. Everything around him seemed abandoned but he had to continued forward. He heard a few faint sounds of cars hitting brakes and tire screeching, followed by confused shouting ("Did you see that?!" "It looked like a moving box!") behind him. He ignored the commotion.

The microbot is now wildly shaking and banging against the dish, leading the young man towards a grimy old warehouse. Tadashi tried to pull and push the metal doors. It was locked. He couldn't even pull the chains that were tied to the door. He cannot give up now, he's so close to solving this mystery. He stood back a little, looking at the huge building, thinking on how to get inside. Moments later, he piled up a couple of old wooden crates so he can climb on them and reach for an upper story window. The window was still far away from his grasp, and the crates were beginning to give away. He wondered if he could jump high enough to reach the window.

"Tadashi. Please exercise caution," a voice suddenly said. "A fall from that height could lead to bodily harm."

 **"Aaah!"** Tadashi yelped and turned around, nearly falling off. He was shocked to see a familiar red suitcase rolling up to him. Then Baymax rose and stepped out from the suitcase. "Baymax?! What are YOU doing here? I told you can't come with me!"

"My programming does not allow me to leave my patient alone and unattended until they've been given enough care under my watch," Baymax replied. Then he tilted his head. "Did you find the source of your emotional distress?"

Tadashi jumped off from the crates. "No, not yet--now shoo, you cannot be here!" He tried to move his huggable robot back into his charging station, but Baymax wouldn't budge no matter how hard Tadashi pushed. He was about to deactivate him with the trigger words when Baymax offered a useful suggestion.

"I could help you reach for the window, if that is alright with you." 

Tadashi was hesitant but he allowed Baymax to help him on this. Just this once, he hoped. Soon, he was now standing on the robot's head and shoulders; he easily pulled himself through the window and into the warehouse. In the dim light, he could see rusty metal staircases and other dangerous-looking machinery that had long been used and forgotten. He heard a sound and he jumped, thinking he was caught. He turned around and saw that Baymax had gotten stuck trying to get through the window.

"Oh no," Baymax declared.

 _"Baymax,"_ Tadashi groaned, running a hand down his face.

"Excuse me while I let out some air."

Tadashi nervously watched as Baymax began to deflate, the sound of the air being released sounded obnoxious, and he began to worry that he and his robot might get caught before the inventor can even explore. Thankfully, nobody came and when Baymax was finished, Tadashi pulled him inside.

"It will take me a moment to reinflate," Baymax said.

"Okay, but keep it down," Tadashi said in a low voice. _If I remember it, I must find an alternative way for Baymax to deflate faster._

After what seemed liked forever, Baymax is fully inflated. The two quietly went down a flight of creaky stairs ("This seems unsafe, an accidental slip--" _"YES, BAYMAX. Now shush!"_ ). Tadashi used the microbot in the petri dish to navigate and to his surprise, it stopped moving and laid still; despite how confused he is right now, he pressed forward after pocketing the dish into his blazer. He is getting closer.

* * *

They turned a corner and came into a huge area in the middle of the warehouse. Up ahead, Tadashi saw what looks like to be a tent made of vinyl tarps and something mechanical was inside moving. He and Baymax crept closer, the former peeked inside through the semi-transparent tarp rather than go through an opening slit he noticed in one side of the tent to enter. A large machine is manufacturing something, and two robotic arms that looked they could belong to SFIT were dropping tiny objects into a conveyor belt that were spit out from the large machine. Tadashi found this rather strange; the warehouse is old and abandoned, but this machine and the tent seemed recent.

"There's something shady and illegal going on here," Tadashi said, thinking out loud. He followed to the mouth of the tent, the small objects on the conveyor belt were then dropped into an open oil drum. Tadashi's blood turned to ice when he recognized them.

These are Hiro's microbots! And there are more of them inside the oil drum!

Tadashi noticed more oil drums, at least about twenty or thirty, filled with more microbots nearby. His mind is rapidly racing as he tries to process all these info. His body was trembling so bad, he couln'dt decide it was out of shock, fear, or anger.

"Hiro's microbots were destroyed... b-but someone's making more," he whispered.

Baymax's voiced alerted him. "Tadashi."

Tadashi turned his head to see Baymax pointing to a wall covered in papers full of plans, writings, and a mysterious red symbol of a bird. He peeked closer to them and could only get out the name "Project Silent Sparrow" when he heard a metal door opening somewhere in the warehouse. He realized there wasn't enough time to leave the area. Thinking quickly, he grabbed Baymax, pulled him inside the tarp through the slit he noticed earlier and closed it up. The two ducked close to the ground, Tadashi was sweating in fear; he prayed silently that he and Baymax wouldn't be caught.

They heard someone approaching and Tadashi recognized it as the sound of a woman's heels clicking every step. Then the footsteps stopped in front of the tent. Another pair of footsteps followed from the opposite direction, and they seemed to be heavier.

"It's just me, nobody followed me as usual," a woman's voice spoke up. Tadashi couldn't recognize her voice but she sounded formal. "I see the machine I smuggled in for has been working fine so far?"

The other person didn't say something, but Tadashi could picture them nodding their head.

"I'm surprised you managed to make this many in such a short time," the woman continued. Tadashi heard her walking around, inspecting the oil drums. "That Hamada boy only made two trashcans worth of them in three weeks. I got to give him credit for making these microbots sophisticated, but it doesn't take much for a genius such as yourself to figure out how to produce more of them, huh?"

Tadashi's pale knuckles tightened in fury.

"Anyways, let's get to the office. I got what you asked me to bring."

Soon, the woman and her silent partner left. Tadashi waited for a couple of minutes until he knows it's safe to come out, then he and Baymax left the tent. Tadashi wanted to leave the warehouse as soon as possible, but he had an idea. The woman mentioned the machine can produce a lot microbots in a short time, but what would happen if the machine were to malfunction...? Not only this will delay the progress, but he can back to get more clues of this warehouse and possibly what the mysterious people are planning to do with his brother's invention.

Tadashi went to the machine and the design appeared to be a little complicated than he expected. However, he managed to mess around the delicate program so that it would probably take a while for whoever's making the microbots to fix the machine. The machine stopped working and then it shut down with a low whistle. Then Tadashi took care of the robot arms by dismantling easily.

Tadashi turned to Baymax and motioned him to follow him. "Let's get out of here before anyone notices their machine is broken." He made dash headstart when he looked back and saw Baymax slowly waddling behind him. He groaned and slapped his face.

"I am not fast," Baymax said.

"I know, I know!" Tadashi muttered as he hurried back and pulled Baymax along. He thought wildly as he heard the oil drums began to shake behind them.  _Why didn't I give my robot-- **A CAREGIVER ROBOT** \--better speed! How was he supposed to handle medical emergencies if he were slow as molasses! What was I thinking, or better yet--how did **I** even overlooked this mistake?!_

Tadashi could already picture Hiro's deadpan expression and snarky voice if he ever knew his brother's flaw in Baymax's programming. _"Jeez, knucklehead, w_ _hat did you expect from a walking marshmallow?"_

He and Baymax headed to window they had come in through. Baymax tried to deflate again so he can squeeze through. Tadashi was panicking when he heard an ominous buzz and metallic clicking in the distance. He saw the microbots movingly menacingly towards them and they were halfway up the stairs. He ran his hands over his pockets to look for something to help Baymax get through the window faster. Without a moment to spare, Tadashi breaks a nearby window with his foot and grabbed a long piece of sharp glass. He ignored the stabbing pain in his hand.

"Your hand is bleeding, I must tend to it," Baymax suddenly said.

"I'm sorry, buddy," Tadashi said regretfully before puncturing Baymax's balloon arms with the glass.

More air jetted out quickly. Tadashi shoved Baymax through the window just in time before the microbots can snatch them. Baymax cradled Tadashi as they fell, his body absorbing the blow as they hit the ground. Tadashi looked back up at the window and saw a tall dark figure in a white-and-red Kabuki mask looking down at them. Tadashi scrambled to his feet, grabbed Baymax and the red suitcase, and ran away as fast as he can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((To the person who commented about Tadashi dealing with a similar loss with his parents previously, that will be expanded on later but for now he's dealing with his brother's death which is more significant to him.))
> 
> ((Also, the mysterious woman's identity will be revealed, though pretty late into the story. But she's not an original character, she's someone from the canon story.))


	4. You Can(not) Fix This One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tadashi and Baymax returned home, and the inventor broods over his grief while the robot tries to console him.

Tadashi ran and ran, carrying the red charging station under one arm while he pulled Baymax along forcefully. The two didn't stop running until they came to a safer part of the alleyway where they can see a lively street full of people up ahead. Tadashi even recognized the location where he parked his moped nearby. The robotics student let go of Baymax and dropped the red suitcase on the ground. He then leaned against the cement wall of the alley, panting and gasping for air.

"Th-that was close," he breathed. He was sweating bullets and he could feel every hair on the back of his neck standing. "I don't think that guy's coming after us... That gave me a heart attack."

At this, Baymax waddled over to Tadashi, his deflated balloon skin on both arms were hanging from the skeletal structure of his body. "My hands are equipped with defibrillators," he said as he rubbed his hands together and held them up to Tadashi's chest, ready to shock his heart into normal rhythm. "Clear."

"Whoa, Baymax--stop! It's just an expression!" Tadashi protested.

He felt a sharp pain in his right hand and looked down saw it being completely covered in blood. He remembered he cut the same hand from using a broken window glass.

Baymax scanned Tadashi's bleeding hand and began to show pictures of the wound on the video screen on his chest.

"You received a few lacerations on your palm and fingers," Baymax tells him. "While the injury isn't severe, it must be treated immediately before it worsens. I suggest applying presure to stop the bleeding."

"Oh, that's right," Tadashi nodded.

He checked his pockets again and was disappointed to find no handkerchief to wrap around his hand. He's starting to feel a little lightheaded; whether from his hand losing blood or from running too hard, he couldn't decide.

He then saw Baymax walking to his suitcase to take out a gauze and bandages from one of the small drawers. The robot waddled back to his creator and gently took Tadashi's hands. He then used his finger to spray warm, soap water on the skin, washing away the blood.

"What are you doing?" he asked suddenly.

"I am treating your wound," Baymax replied as he cleaned the wound. "I shall now apply ointment to reduce the chance of infection--"

"I know that, but you're in no condition help me right now," Tadashi protested. "Look at your arms! You need to be fixed first!"

"You are my patient, Tadashi. Your health is my only concern."

Tadashi sighed but he smiled up at his robot. "Alright, you're the nurse, big guy."

He watched as Baymax carefully pressed a gauze against the large cut and then wrapped the bandages around the hand with expert ease. He could feel his heart swelling with pride; just seeing his caregiver robot doing his job just like he was programmed to made Tadashi happy that he invented something that would help so many people. It took Tadashi forever to perfect Baymax, he had to go through eighty-three tests of painful trials and errors until he got Baymax to work properly on the eighty-fourth test. He remembered showing off his robot to Hiro and the two brothers discussed, in their "nerd talk", over Baymax's built and design.

 _Hiro would have an easier time building Baymax though,_ he thought. _He probably wouldn't have slaved months and suffered eighty-four tests to get him to work too. A big brain in a small head, and what does he do? Put his time making robots fight. Knucklehead..._

Just thinking of his brother again made his heart began to ache. Then he remembered the masked man with the microbots.

"I have finished treating your wound," Baymax said cheerfully. Then he holds up a sugar-free lollipop in front of his creator. "Here, have a lollipop."

Tadashi took the lollipop but he didn't unwrap it. He sadly stared at it before before pocketing it away. "We can't stand around much longer. We have to go to the police and tell them about what we saw at the warehouse."

He was about to turn to leave when he heard a noise behind him. He turned around and saw Baymax's body slouching over. An image of a battery began appeared on his chest and it's blinking red.

"Looow baaatterr _rry_..." Baymax slurred.

"Whoa, Baymax!" Tadashi ran and held him up the best he can. "Now where's your charging station...?"

He saw the red suitcase. Tadashi left his robot and saw the charger is low on battery as well. "Unbelievable!" He sighed with frustration. "This should have enough energy that would last a few days, a week maybe! I'm pretty sure this was plugged to the outlet the night before. Why didn't I check this earlier--"

 _"I will scan diagnosis now! Healthcare complete!"_ Baymax shouted, swaying wildly back and forth. He's now acting like a drunk person. This is the first time Tadashi has seen something like this and he felt so awkward that this is happening right now.

Tadashi quickly grabbed his robot before he falls over. Looks like going to the police won't be happening after all. "Okay, you've taken care of me. Now let's take you home so I can take care of you."

Baymax suddenly shout, _"I am companion! Your personal Baymax healthcare!"_

* * *

It took Tadashi the rest of the afternoon to return home. He had to buy some rope from a store to tie Baymax down on the seat of the moped to make sure he doesn't fall off in his "drunken" state. Tadashi knew it would be too risky to drive the moped through the busy street so he just walks it on the sidewalks, while Baymax's half-deflated body leaned against his head and shoulder. He avoid getting eye-contact from curious passerbys though he could feel his face burning like fire.

He struggled to drag his moped with Baymax and the charging station sitting on it through the city until he saw the Lucky Cat cafe in sight. He went around the back where the garage is and plugged the red suitcase into an outlet. He untied Baymax and gently helped him step down from the ride. Baymax began rustling Tadashi's hair affectionately.

"You are so fluffy. Fluffy Tadashi _ii..._ " Baymax mumbled. He then attempted to cuddle with his creator while he continued babbling. _"I will scan you on the scale offended to lollipop. How would you rate your care? Hello, I am robot!"_

Tadashi couldn't help but laugh but he guided Baymax into his charger. "One foot in front of the other, buddy. C'mon, you're almost there."

With Baymax finally in place, Tadashi left the garage so he could pick up the materials to patch up Baymax's arms. He entered his home through the back door and quietly hurried up the stairs without alerting his aunt. As he stepped into the room, his chest momentarily squeezed in pain when he saw Hiro's bed and desk still empty and lonely. He ignored it and grabbed the toolkit under his own bed. He was halfway down the stairs when Aunt Cass saw him.

"Tadashi!" she gasped. "Where did you go? You weren't in your room when I checked up on you earlier."

Tadashi stopped and tried to sound casual. "Oh, I was in the garage all afternoon. Working on a new invention."

Cass touched his face tenderly, her expression full of concern. "Honey, you scared me. I understand you're still hurt, but if you're going to go somewhere, please tell me first."

"I'm sorry for worrying you, Aunt Cass," Tadashi said in a low voice though he avoided her gaze.

"So what's this new invention you've been working on?" Cass asked curiously. A small smile on her lips. "Is it for your school?"

"Um, p-pretty much," Tadashi nodded quickly as he moved around her. "It's very important! So, I'm going to be very busy."

Cass tried to stop him before he reached the door. "Ooh, can I bring you anything for dinner--"

But he was already gone. Aunt Cass sighed before going back to work. "At least he's out of his room. I guess that's a good thing," she mumbled.

* * *

Tadashi fixed up the tattered vinyl with special thread as Baymax slowly powered back up in his charging station. He had done this plenty of times before when Baymax's balloon skin accidentally popped and broke apart during his tests.

"There, good as new!" Tadashi grinned.

Baymax's internal motors re-inflated his arms until they were back to normal size and filled with air. "Thank you, Tadashi. I appreciated your help."

"I gotta keep you in top shape, buddy," the inventor said. "Can't have a caregiver companion falling apart."

He began to press some numbers in his cellphone, and waited for someone to pick up.

"San Fransokyo Police Department," a tired voice said. "This is desk sergeant Officer Gerson. How can I help you?"

Tadashi became quiet for a moment. What should he tell the policeman; that he and a robot came to a warehouse, found his brother's stolen invention, and then ambushed by a masked man? While it did really happened, it now sounded ridiculous. But Tadashi poured out his words the best he can without stopping. After ten minutes has passed, the policeman finally replied.

"Alright, let me get this straight," Officer Gerson began slowly. "A man in Kabuki mask attacked you with an army or miniature flying robots which originally belong to your dead brother?"

"Microbots," Tadashi corrected him as he wandered around the garage. Baymax watched him after stepping out of his charging station. "They were stolen and being produced. The man was controlling them telepathically with a neurocranial transmitter."

"Look, young man, I'm not a science whiz here so I need you to explain to me on simple terms," the officer said in an unimpressed tone. "So, Mr. Kabuki was using ESP to attack you and your robot?"

Tadashi rubbed a hand over his face in frustration. "Yes. In a way."

There was silence on the other end. 

"What did you say your name was again?"

"Tadashi Hamada. Look, it's not important right now. There's someone out there who got my brother's invention and tried to kill--"

"I've heard of you. And your brother. You two were in jail on the night we rounded up some people at that illegal botfighting ring. Look, I feel sorry for what happened to your brother. He seems like a nice kid... You don't sound like a guy who would make prank calls to the police--"

"WHAT?!" Tadashi cried.

The officer continued, "--Mr. Hamada, calling the police isn't going to help you deal with your loss."

 _Well, if you and the other cops were there earlier on the night the fire broke at the showcase, you would have find out clues who started it!_ Tadashi wanted to scream at him. Instead, he hung up his cellphone and set it down sharply on the table. 

He then fell back onto the comfortable couch in the corner. He was so tired and confused now. Who was that masked man and why was he building Hiro's microbots? And what was he planning to do with them? Then he remembered the mysterious papers on the wall: the words "Project Silent Sparrow" and the strange symbol of a bird. What are they and what do they mean?

"This doesn't make any sense," he said out loud while staring at the ceiling. "Hiro... what would you do when your stuff gets stolen? Probably, tell our parents about it." He snorted. Then a horrible feeling begin to sink in. "... What would Mom and Dad say?"

* * *

_He remembered on the day Hiro was born, his parents made him give them his promise._

_"Starting today, you're his big brother, Tadashi," his mom said with a huge smile. "That means you'll have to make sure he doesn't get hurt when we're not around._

_"It's a big a responsibility. Think you can handle it?" his dad inquired, placing a hand on the little five-year-old's shoulder._

_"Yup! I'll be the best big brother to Hiro!" Tadashi nodded while staring happily at his newborn brother._

* * *

"I failed them," Tadashi whispered in horror. Despair filled his chest and he curled up into the couch. "I shouldn't have left Hiro that night. And now he's lost... How can I even face Mom and Dad when I finally see them again? I'm... I'm the worst brother ever."

"Tadashi," Baymax said softly. He sensed his creator's distress and drop in mood levels. "What do you mean by 'Hiro is lost'? Should we find him?"

Tadashi looked at his robot before rolling around, facing his back towards him. "We can't find him, Baymax. He's dead," he answered in a hollow voice. "Along with Professor Callaghan. There was a fire, and... I didn't save him."

He thought of his parents once more. This isn't the first time he felt guilty for allowing his family to die...

* * *

_On the morning of their deaths, Tadashi didn't want to ride with them in their car since he preferred to take the school bus. His parents wanted to take him to school, but he was throwing a fit._

_"I'm a big boy! I wanna ride the bus with my classmates!" he cried._

_"Awww, let him take the bus, Maemi," Aunt Cass said as she played with three-year-old Hiro on the mat. "I took the train when I was young too and I was safe."_

_"Oh, I guess so," Tadashi's mother sighed. Then she leaned down and give her elder son a peck on the cheek. "You'll behave in school, right?"_

_"He'll be fine," the father said. "Anyway, we have enough time to get to the meeting early."_

_"Make sure Hiro gets his nap," Maemi reminds her sister-in-law before walking out the door with her husband. "Let's go, Tom."_

_"Love you, Momma," Tadashi waved her goodbye before picking up his lunch bag._

_"We'll pick you up after school, okay? See you soon~"_

* * *

Had he known about the traffic accident, Tadashi would have taken a ride with his parents and they would have drove to school in a different street instead. He felt terribly guilty for acting on his selfish needs that he should have done something to prevent their deaths. He made a promise that he would never put his own desires over his family ever again. Yet, he had done it again in the form of putting his own life at risk to save someone else and leaving his brother behind. The very person he had sworn to take care and protect.

He heard Baymax waddling closer to him. "Hiro was in good health. With a proper diet and exercise, he should have lived a long life."

"Yeah, he should have," Tadashi said, feeling fresh tears forming in his eyes. "People keep saying he's not really gone as long as we remember him... but I don't buy it."

Baymax seemed confused. "Why is that?"

"Because it still hurts."

"I see no evidence of physical injury."

"It's a different kind pain, Baymax."

Baymax was silent for a while. He then begun, "... On the scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain?"

"Stop that!" Tadashi angrily sat up in a shot. "Why do you keep hovering me around like that?"

"You are my patient, Tadashi. I want to help you," the robot stated.

"You can't heal this one, buddy. I don't need your help!"

"I was programmed to aid the sick and suffering--"

**_"Go away, Baymax!!"_ **

Tadashi panted heavily before walking away from his robot to stand in a different corner of the garage to avoid him. Baymax couldn't accept that answer. He is determined to help his patient in anyway possible, especially if his patient happens to be his creator. He turned to one of the computers and began to access information with the touch of his hand. Tadashi finally turned around after drying his eyes.

"What are you doing?" he asked watching images of websites and pages quickly flashing on Baymax's chest.

"I am downloading a database on personal loss," Baymax replied. "Database downloaded. Treatments include contact with friends and loved ones. I am contacting them down now."

"Wait, what?" Tadashi saw four pictures of his friends from college appeared on Baymax's chest. He ran forward and tried to wipe them away. "No no no, I don't want to see anybody!"

"Your friends have been contacted."

Tadashi groaned and slapped his face. "Unbelievable. You are so stubborn..."

Tadashi realized how independent Baymax is slowly getting; few times he disobeyed against Tadashi's orders and acted on his own will. The robotics student wondered if he created his invention to become too intelligent. Suddenly, Baymax reached out and gave him a big hug.

"Other treatments include compassion and physical reassurance," Baymax said. He then patted Tadashi's back. "You will be alright."

"I... am I really going to be...?" Tadashi tried to speak but he couldn't finish. The hug brought a great warmth all over his body and it seemed to remove a huge burden off from his chest. He found himself hugging his robot in return.

Baymax eventually breaks off the hug and looks at his creator with a seemingly kind gesture. "I am sorry about the fire. Hiro was a good boy, I miss him."

"Me too, big guy. And no need to be sorry, it was an accident," Tadashi said. Then something snapped in his mind. The wheels in his head started turning and then all the pieces fell together. "Unless... it wasn't."

He quickly takes out the petri dish containing the lone microbot and stared at it. Then he remembered the words of the mysterious woman from the warehouse.

_"I'm surprised you managed to make this many in such a short time. That Hamada boy only made two trashcans worth of them in three weeks. I got to give him credit for making these microbots sophisticated, but it doesn't take much for a genius such as yourself to figure out how to produce more of them, huh?"_

"The man in the Kabuki mask stole Hiro's microbots. And then he started the fire to cover his tracks..." Tadashi said slowly. Anger and hate began to invade his heart like a dark cloud and he found his hands shaking. " _He's the one responsible for Hiro's death_... We have to find him and stop him!"

Tadashi now knew what he must do. Since the police won't help him catch the masked man, he will have to do it himself. He will catch the man and bring him to justice, and then Hiro will rest in peace.

"Will apprehending the man in the mask improve your emotional state?" Baymax asked.

Tadashi nodded. "Absolutely."

"Then I wish to be of assistance to you. Wherever you go, I will follow you."

"Baymax, you're a nurse, not a fighter--"

Tadashi stopped and began to think. He stepped back and began to picture Baymax wearing armor that resembled Hiro's fighting robot Megabot. He had to admit, Baymax did pulled him out of trouble a couple of times but his current body is too fragile and isn't built for battle. Tadashi felt that he's going to against his original intent for a caregiver companion bot and uprade it into something more. But if it would bring honor to Hiro's memory, then he will throw away whatever morals if he has to.

"On a second thought... it looks like I'm going to need your help after all," Tadashi said with conviction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Sorry this took forever to upload! I've been busy with the last few weeks of college and I'll be graduating pretty soon! Hopefully the next chapter won't take this long to update.))


	5. Five Stages: Bargaining

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tadashi builds an armor and a fighting chip for Baymax. Training ensues.

"Okay. Arms up, buddy," Tadashi said as he pulled an electronic device from a shelf. "I'm making you a new chip."

Baymax did as he was told and Tadashi quickly scanned his robot. Then Tadashi made Baymax switched places and had the latter scan his body as well. He downloaded the scanned image of himself and Baymax to his computer. A 3-D model of Baymax's soft body and Tadashi's lean body appeared on the screen. With Baymax peering curiously over his shoulder, Tadashi opened another screen and downloaded several martial art videos.

"I fail to see how karate makes me a better health-care companion," Baymax stated.

"Just think of this as a new skill to learn when it comes to protecting the sick and injured," Tadashi explained as he linked the model of Baymax to a footage of a dojo scene. "If someone were to harm your patient or even prevent you from doing your job, you need to learn self-defense."

Baymax listened to his creator and looked at the screen. "... I still fail to see how I need to be physically fit enough to fight off ninjas."  

Tadashi laughed as he watched the Baymax model take on several fighters with karate moves, as he programmed a fighting chip. He even include a special trigger that would put Baymax into a fighting "defensive" mode in case Tadashi is in danger. He will test it out later to see if it would work.

Once the program is running, Tadashi then rolled his chair over to another computer and began designing parts of armor suits for the both of them. While he's still going to upgrade Baymax into a battle bot, he wanted to fight and defend himself the masked man too since he's armed with the microbots.

"Let's make the best armor ever," he smiled with confidence. Then he fired up the 3-D printer.

* * *

"WHY--CAN'T--I--DO--ANYTHING--RIGHT!"

Tadashi yelled in frustration as he banged his head against the top of his desk. Hours has passed and all he had to show for his time and efforts were several misshaped carbon-fiber armor pieces were scattered all over the room.

Baymax looked over to where he is sitting on the floor, while petting Mochi who is happily sitting on his arms. "I recommend not to repeatedly bang your head, otherwise you will suffer--"

"SHUT UP, BAYMAX! I didn't program you to sass me!"

"... Sass is not in my nursing database."

Tadashi groaned loudly and fell back on his chair. "This is ridiculous!" he complained. "I study robotics engineering in a nerd school! This should be so easy to figure this out!"

He ran his hand through his hair in distraught. He realized he lacked the talent to build fighting robots like his brother, and he looked down on Hiro for his destructive inventions. Meanwhile, Hiro would sarcastically call him a "boring nerd" who makes his inventions "too safe". Tadashi bet his little brother is laughing at him somewhere in the afterlife, but it made feel depressed.

"I give up," he said weakly. "This is a dead end for me."

However, his words sparked something inside his memory.

* * *

_"You have been putting off your project. It won't be good for your final grade," Professor Callaghan told him after Tadashi complained that his robotic nurse project isn't going anywhere after his 52nd test._

_"I can't help it, Professor," Tadashi sighed as they both walked down the hall together. "No matter how much I tried, the big guys always keep falling apart on me. I'm ready to throw in the towel."_

_The old professor stopped him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Trying isn't enough. Use that big brain of yours to think your way out."_

_"W-what?" Tadashi stammered, staring in confusion._

_"We push the boundaries of robotics here. You are going to go on and shape the future of science," C _allaghan told him firmly, his blue eyes shining fiercely. "_ There is always a solution to a problem. You just have to--"_

_"Look for a new angle?" Tadashi suggested._

_Callaghan smiled. "I'm pleased to have you as my student. You use that as your own personal motto."_

_"I guess I'll go back and work on Baymax again," Tadashi shrugged._

_"That's good. I appreciate the determination of a future scientist. ...You remind me so much of my daughter."_

_"Was she the one who loved botfighting?" Tadashi asked. He rarely hears Callaghan talk about his personal life but whenever the professor did, he always talks about his daughter._

_"The very same one. Abigail was my greatest joy," Callaghan trailed off. He stared off into the distance. Tadashi was curious of the past tense in his words._

_"Was?"_

_"She died not so long ago. In an accident."_

_"Oh." Tadash felt bad for bringing up a painful subject. "I'm so sorry..."_

_"No, it's alright. You're not the **one** responsible for it." _

_Tadashi saw his professor's face darken, as though he was nursing a venomous grudge. This expression did not seem to suit this seemingly good man and it made the young student a little nervous. He continued walking with his professor before he reached his lab._

_"Good luck on your project, Mr. Hamada," Callaghan said before closing the glass door. "Remember... There are no dead ends."_

* * *

Tadashi repeated his professor's words under his breath and he felt energized again. His professor was always there to give him advice whenever he can't solve a problem. Even though Callaghan lived a good life, he did not deserve to die in that fire accident. Tadashi wished he could have saved him but he didn't regret trying in the first place.

The inventor cannot give up now. He has a masked man to catch and who knows what that criminal would do with Hiro's microbots.

He went back to the computer and opened some files where Hiro kept his designs for building fighting bots. Several blueprints for robots filled the screen and Tadashi couldn't help but become awed at how creative and imaginative they are. He remembered his mission and regained his focus. He checked through each blueprint before settling on an armor suit that looked practical and eye-pleasing, something that Hiro would find "cool".

"I found a new angle," he smiled to himself.

 Tadashi then made a quick trip to his bedroom and gathered a few of old toy robots, Hiro's Megabot, and his textbooks on robotics. He needed a LOT of studying.

He returned to the garage without disturbing Aunt Cass who was watching her late night tv shows. He placed his stuff on the desk and pulled out his book. While he was pouring over his notes on his book and Hiro's computer files. Baymax walked over and looked at Megabot closely.

"Hiro was holding this when we first met," the robot stated.

"Yeah. He was," Tadashi said without looking.

After several minutes of studying, the inventor designed another armor piece following Hiro's notes. With just a push of  print button, the 3-D printer created a carbon-fiber armor piece. Tadashi grabbed it and was thrilled to see it came out perfect. He was even more happy when it fitted into Baymax's arm. Even though he's still uncomfortable for going against everything he studied and what he built Baymax for, Tadashi knew he cannot rest easy until he catch the masked man. And it's not just bringing justice for Hiro. If he can build Baymax to help many people, he can upgrade the same robot to protect others as well. He'll be turning Baymax into a guardian. As he fitted each armor segment to Baymax, the fighting chip programming has just ended. 

Tadashi finally added the last piece of armor to Baymax's soft balloon body and stepped back to admire his hard work. Baymax resembled a brown beetle crossed with a samurai and he looked a bulky under the heavy armor. The padding would protect Baymax's fragile vinyl body from harm and the hard plates would give Baymax offensive strikes.

Tadashi couldn't help but grin wide with triumph. "My first fighting bot... You hear that, Hiro? Who's a boring nerd now?!"

At this moment, Baymax's armor pieces began flying off and hitting the walls. Tadashi flinched and cowered back before he can get hit. Even Mochi the cat ran for cover. When it was over, Tadashi face-palmed himself.

"I swear he's doing this to me on purpose," he grumbled before putting the armor back on Baymax again, making sure they stay fitted. Then it was Tadashi's turn to put on his own armor.

Baymax looked down at himself and moved his arms. "I have concerns, Tadashi. This armor may undermine my nonthreatening, huggable design."

"That's kind of the idea, buddy," Tadashi replied. "And besides, you look tough and handsome."

He put on some elbow and knee guards, a pair of fingerless gauntlets, a teal carbon-fiber vest and shoulder blades. Then he added a teal helmet with a dark eyeshield that covered his upperface, leaving his mouth exposed. He then stood in front of Baymax, waiting for a reaction.

"Well? Do I look sick?" he inquired.

Baymax scanned him. "You looked healthy. Except upon closer inspection, you appear a little malnourished and in need of more hours of sleep."

Tadashi shook his head. He's going to teach his robot more about expressions and metaphors later. He went over to pick up the finished fighting chip and drew a frowning face on it. He went over to Baymax and opened the access port. He paused when he saw Baymax's green health-care chip--the object that what defines Baymax into who he is and his role. He cannot bring himself to remove the chip so he slid the red chip next to the green one.

Soon Baymax began to download the new programming into his database. He watched Tadashi gather and set up some old wooden boards as some sort of training test.

"You ready, Baymax?" Tadashi began as he pointed to a tall board standing in front of the robot. "Punch that."

Baymax quickly analyzed the board before punching swiftly. The board broke in two right in the middle. Tadashi's jaw dropped and then he whooped in excitement. Then he pushed Baymax into a pile of wooden blocks.

"Try this!"

With a swift slice of his hand, Baymax destroyed the wooden blocks too.

"It worked! This is amazing!" Tadashi screamed in delight, dancing a little. He pulled up a tough-looking mannequin to become a temporary training dummy. "Okay, strength is perfect so far. But I need you to practice on your control. Hit this without breaking it."

Baymax carefully pulled back his fist and hit the dummy in the chest. It flew backwards but it didn't break into pieces like the wooden board and blocks. The robot then turned to see Tadashi going into a fighting stance.

"Okay, now practice your new moves on me," Tadashi ordered. 

"I cannot harm my patient, Tadashi," Baymax reminded him. "My programming prevents me from injuring a human being."

Tadashi realized that even though Baymax now learned offensive skills, the robot is still a pacifist and gentle caregiver at heart. "Just focus on your control," he told him. "I know you won't hurt me. Trust me, Baymax. Now... use a palm strike."

The medical robot was hesitant but he struck a hand forward with an open palm, holding back as much strength. And since he was so fast, Tadashi couldn't brace himself in time and was struck in the chest. He flew backwards and landed on the floor hard. He coughed and moaned in pain. He heard Baymax approaching him quickly.

"I apologize for injuring you," the robot replied as he gently picked up Tadashi back on his feet. "On the scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain?"

"Excellent!" Tadashi replied happily. He then gave a big kiss on Baymax's face. "Let's do this again. More control, try not to hit me that harder." 

"Your answer isn't a number," Baymax blinked in confusion. "I wish not to hurt people with my new strength, Tadashi."

"Deal. Just let me do the people-harming, okay?"

* * *

Tadashi and Baymax continued practicing karate together, the inventor teaching him how to strike and block blows. Their sparring reminded Tadashi of the karate lessons he taught to Hiro for self-defense. The two brothers sometimes challenge each other in friendly fights, but Tadashi always wins in them. Baymax soon mastered karate flawlessly and Tadashi felt so proud for upgrading his robot into a warrior. If he had done something like this before long ago, then neither Hiro nor Callaghan wouldn't be killed. 

He held up his fist, a large smile on his face. Baymax tilted his head as he looked at Tadashi's fist.

"Is this an attack move?" he asked curiously.

"No, this is a fist bump," Tadashi explained. "It's something you do when you are excited and all pumped up. Here.."

He carefully showed Baymax by manipulating his hand and made an exploding sound effect with his fingers. Baymax copied his creator's movements.

"Bata-latala," Baymax said in a poor attempt to make an exploding sound.

"Eh, close enough," Tadashi grinned. He straightened up his armor. "Okay, I'm going try out this special trigger I added into your battle programming. It's supposed to put you into defensive mode in case I'm ever in danger. You ready for this?"

"I am prepared to aid you," Baymax said.

Tadashi took a deep breath and was about to utter the word when he heard someone knocking outside the garage. He heard two familiar voices.

"Tadashi, it's us~!" Honey Lemon's voice was heard.

"We came to see you," Wasabi spoke up.

Tadashi sharply turned to Baymax, his mood dropped from excitement to cold irritation. "You didn't..." he hissed dangerously as he hurriedly began removing his armor.

"I contacted your friends earlier," Bamax nodded. "Those who suffer a loss require support from friends and loved ones."

Tadashi ignored him and opened the door of the garage, though not wide enough so his friends won't see the mess inside. He only saw Wasabi and Honey, and they looked a little awkward seeing him but they had smiles on their faces.

"Hey, Tadashi," Wasabi greeted him nervously. "We're sorry that our visit made you uncomfortable earlier. We didn't mean to disrespect Hiro's memory."

"Your brother is a friend to us," Honey said. "Remember we had a little pizza party weeks ago when Hiro took a break from his microbots project?"

The word "microbots" twisted Tadashi's side when he remembered someone started the fire to steal them and killed Hiro in the process. However, he kept a stone-hard blank face as his fingers tightened on door.

"So, how about you join us and we go out to pizza together?" Wasabi suggested. "Gogo and Fred couldn't come, so it'll be just the three of us."

"... I'm not interested."

Honey noticed Tadashi's bandaged hand and tried touch it. "Tadashi, your hand! What happened?"

Tadashi quickly pulled his hand away. "It's nothing," he said quickly. "I just had a little accident. Now, if you excuse me... I'm quite busy here."

"We just got here! Tadashi, please-- we can't live like this!" Honey begged. She looked ready to cry.

"Then leave me _alone!"_

The door slammed right in front of their faces. Honey's lips quivered and she turned away, breaking into sobs. Wasabi just stared at the spot where Tadashi's face used to be.

"Tadashi, you're our friend!" Wasabi shouted. "If you didn't want to see us, why did you bother contacting us?! I'm tired, Tadashi--we're all tired. We just wanted to help you!"

Meanwhile inside the garage, Tadashi tried to shut out the words but it still managed to hit his chest like icicle daggers. It really hurt, but they still don't understand his loss. They don't know Hiro like he did. _They will never understand..._

He waited for Wasabi and Honey to leave before looking at Baymax. "Don't ever call them again," he ordered.

"I was trying to be helpful--"

"If you want to help me... YOU will help me catch that murderer who stole my brother's microbots."

"You are experiencing guilt over your prevention of Hiro's death," Baymax stated. "If this isn't dealt with and resolved, intense feelings of remorse or anger can interfere with the healing process."

Tadashi stared at him and he could feel his blood boiling but he kept his cool. "You asked me if apprehending the masked man will improve my emotional state. Well, I can't be healed until we get the guy." 

He bent over and picked up his armor. "Now before we do that, we're gonna go on a little patrolling." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Whoa, new chapter already? Anyways, the next chapter will be sorta "filler" since it'll be Tadashi and Baymax further testing their skills and armor. Hope you're enjoying the fic so far~))


	6. Bash Brothers, Carbon-Fiber Heroes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tadashi and Baymax test out their new skills in the darkest alleys of San Fransokyo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Okay, this chapter is pretty much of "filler" but it's going to feature more Tadashi and Baymax's desire to help and protect people, and need more reasons to start a superhero team later into the story.))

Tadashi and Baymax were ready to leave but the inventor realized his costume is missing something. Something that will inspire him to become a hero... He made a super-quick trip to his bedroom and picked up a red handkerchief from his closet without a second thought. He wrapped it around his neck. Now he looks like a potential protector of San Fransokyo.

Making sure Aunt Cass had gone to bed, Tadashi and Baymax sneaked out of the garage and quietly headed down a brick alley before they are seen. Tadashi was so grateful that the neighborhood became quiet and empty at this hour but and his robot continued to remain close to the shadows. He could feel his chest pounding hard against his chest and his hands are shaking--he has never done this before and one mistake would be curtains for him.

Baymax sensed Tadashi's nervousness and placed a comforting hand on his creator's shoulder. "Your heartbeat is accelerated," he told him as he followed closely behind. "You are experiencing shortness of breath and your skin has started perspiring."

"You noticed, huh?" Tadashi asked. He stopped and looked at Baymax with a nervous smile. "I'm a little scared for a while now. Kind of pathetic, huh?"

"It's not pathetic," Baymax said. "It's a natural physical reaction when experiencing nerves, stress, or anxiety. This kind of reaction is driven by the production of hormones and equip you to fight or escape from situations that are dangerous or threatening. This is known as the fight or flight response."

"Well, I won't be fleeing at all," Tadashi said, smiling gratefully. He held Baymax's hand tight. "I'm so glad you're here, Baymax. With you along, I feel a whole lot braver."

They continued walking and sneaking into dark, forgotten alleyways while the evening fog blurs the soft neon lights of the city. Tadashi could feel his fear slowly fading away and being replaced by confidence since he has Baymax to keep him from getting in over his head. His irritation at Baymax contacting his friends earlier was also pushed away from his mind. He then recalled seeing Honey's hurt expression and hearing Wasabi shouting at him after they went through the trouble of seeing him. Tadashi felt his innards squeezed with discomfort; he knows they meant well and he realized he'd been wrong to drive them away.

"Hey Baymax," he began slowly. "Do you think my friends would still accept me after the way I treated them?"

"Wasabi and Honey are your friends, same with Gogo and Fred," the caregiver bot replied. "I don't know the full story of your actions towards them, but you were grieving and it's understandable. However, I believe they will welcome you back with open arms."

Tadashi smiled. The thought of him returning back his normal life and hang out with his friends again after his mission is over gave him hope.

"Tadashi, where are we going? This is not the way to warehouse where the masked man lives."

"We're not going the warehouse tonight," Tadashi answered. "We're just going to patrol around the city a bit and test your new skills. I have this idea that after catching the masked man, we can be sorta protectors of this city. Between healing the sick and injured, and protecting innocents from random crime-- we can help so many people."

Baymax tried to keep up with his creator, waddling quickly under his armor. He looked comical. "What place is this?"

"Oh, a place where you can find illegal botfighting rings. You'd be surprised to see how people can get violent if they lose or get hustled."

* * *

Tadashi heard some loud cheering and yelling in the distance and he made Baymax stick closer to him. He saw a large rowdy crowd up ahead, and the two hide behind a dumpster to watch. They saw two tough-looking men wearing identical headbands holding their own robots in the air after they defeated their opponents.

"The winners of Double Bot Battle, going on a seven-winning streak--The Banzai Brothers!" the eye-patched wearing female referee boomed.

The crowds cheered for the two men who kissed their thick wads of cash. _"Ban-zai Bro-thers! Ban-zai Bro-thers!"_

"Who's next?" the taller of the two, obviously the older one, demanded. "Who has the guts to step into the ring to take on our Bonsai Bombers?"

Tadashi saw a few people hiding their bots behind their backs and the remains of the defeated robots being unceremoniously thrown onto a pile of other dismembered opponents. He hissed in disapproval at how people can just treat robots as fighting, destructive machines and then tossing them away like trash.

"C-can we try?" a small timid voice spoke up.

The crowd went quiet and parted away to reveal a young, dark-haired boy who seemed to be around Hiro's age. He is accompanied by a taller, older young man who may be his relative or friend. The two of them are holding their own robots, though the younger boy's bot looked to be bad in shape.

The referee looked at the new competitors and glared at the older boy. "Hey, you. Bot-fighting isn't for little kids and their toy robots. Ask your kid brother to leave."

"He's not my brother, he's my cousin," the older boy corrected her as he adjusted his glasses. "Don't worry, he won't mess up. ... Right, Yasuo?" He turned to his little cousin, giving him a look.

The younger boy nodded as he held his fighting bot nervously close to him. He looked like he didn't want to be here tonight. Tadashi felt as though he wanted to run up to him and take him away from this place.

"You have to pay to play," the older Banzai Brother snarled.

"We have enough," the older cousin said as he takes out several bills. "Are you scared you can't take on the both of us?"

"I like your spunk," the Banzai Brother said, smirking as he crossed his arms. "What do we call you?"

"Yuan and Yasuo Lee. The Y's Guys."

"I th-thought we're supposed to go as the Y-Lee Duo, c-cuz it's a pun on 'wily' and--" the boy named Yasuo whispered to him.

_"Not now, Yasuo."_

"Aww, are you gonna cry when we wreck your widdle robot, widdle boy?" the younger Banzai Brother nastily mocked Yasuo. The crowds laughed with him while the boy blushed with embarrassment.

Tadashi watched the Lee cousins and the Banzai Brothers placed their cash inside a dish. Baymax leaned close to his creator. "The smaller boy seems to be suffering some sort of heart condition," he stated.

"Baymax, you can scan him from this distance?" Tadashi asked him, impressed.

"Hey, Fujita!" the younger Banzai Brother winked at the eye-patched referee. "You wanna hang out with this stud after this? I can show you the fireworks, baby~!"

"In your dreams!" Fujita frowned. "After that crazy stunt you did with my sisters last night, the only fireworks you'll be seeing is after I punch you in the face later afterwards."

The crowed oohed. Tadashi watched as the match began to start. The Banzai Brothers' rocket-shaped robots Bonsai Bombers moved along the ring in rough synchronization, taking on the Lee cousins' unnamed Asian dragon-shaped bots. The Lee cousins don't seem to be fighting together since Yuan's bot keep pushing Yasuo's bot aside.

"Don't get in my way, your job is to distract them," Yuan growled at his cousin sitting next to him.

"B-but I wanna fight too," Yasuo said quietly.

"Bored now," the older Banzai Brother said. "Time to end this fight now, bro!"

The Banzai Brothers then pressed a button on their remotes and shouted in unison, _**"Bonsai Bombers Special Secret Attack-- Double Trouble!"**_

Feeling some sort secondhand embarrassment, Tadashi muttered, "Calling your attacks in fight... really?"

The Bonsai Bombers suddenly buzzed and bounched high into the air. Then bots rocket down faster than a bullet towards the Lee cousins' robots. Yasuo quickly managed to moved his dragon-bot out of the way in time. Yuan's bot, however, was not so lucky.

The two bots strike Yuan's bot, causing an explosive impact in the ring. When the smoke cleared, Yuan's dragon-bot was smashed to pieces while the Bonsai Bombers remained standing still without a scratch. The Banzai Brothers laughed cockily at Yuan's flabbergasted face but they didn't notice Yasuo's bot is still active.

Yasuo realizing that this his moment to shine. He moved the joystick of his remote control and his bot spring quickly around the ring, striking Bonsai Bombers's bodies with such deadly force and making surprising huge dents on the bots' backs much to the surprise of everyone in the crowd. The Banzai Brothers desperately tried to move their robots but it seemed the special finishing movie they put in their bots have render them immobile. Tadashi found himself cheering for young Yasuo.

"Looks like I found some weak spots," Yasuo said, smiling. "Shingo... Finish them!"

Yasuo's robot then coiled its long body around both the Bonsai Bombers, trapping them in a tight grip, and tore into their backs with its bite, destroying them completely. The fight is over and the whole audience was stunned. Shingo the dragon-bot made a happy chirp and went back to its owner. Yasuo was beaming with joy but his expression was soon replaced with fear when the Banzai Brothers suddenly moved toward him. He backed into the wall, pale with fear.

"You cheated!" the younger Banzai Brother screamed. "You must be that Hiro Hamada brat who hustled Yama months ago!"

"W-What? Hiro Hamada? I'm n-not him, but I do know him!" Yasuo squeaked. "W-we went to the same high s-school together, but I haven't seen him-- _YUAN, HELP ME!_ "

"Tough luck," Yuan grumbled as he stood nearby, giving him a dark look. He appeared to be rather pissed that Yasuo allowed him to get his robot destroyed.

Tadashi glanced at the crowd and was outraged that nobody is going to stop two full-grown men ready to beat up a young boy. Yasuo tried to escape but the older Banzai Brother grabbed him by the front of his shirt. The young boy is starting to hyperventilate, but nobody seemed to care to help him. It reminded Tadashi the night he had to rescue Hiro from Yama and his men.

"This shall be a lesson to never mess with us," the older Banzai Brother growled pulling back a tight fist.

Yasuo closed his eyes tight and screamed in terror, bracing for the punch. Tadashi had enough of watching. He jumped out from behind the dumpster.

_"Hold it right there!"_

All heads turned to see a slender young man wearing teal-colored armor and a dark eyeshield covering half of his face. Tadashi stood tall and crossed his arms as he glared to the crowd, especially towards the direction of the Banzai Brothers.

"Two full-grown men picking on a kid because they lost a fight? You're a couple of sore losers," he said, trying to sound all heroic and cool. "And I'm ashamed of all the gambling and mistreatment of robotic inventions going around here."

"Who the heck are you?" The younger Banza Brother demanded. "And what kind of sentai-baloney monkey suit are you wearing?"

"I am..." Tadashi paused, realizing that he never thought of giving himself a nickname since he was so busy trying upgrade himself and Baymax so they can catch the masked man. He thought quickly without trying to look like a fool. "My real name is not important! But you can call me... Big Heroman!"

"That's stupid," Yuan commented, wearing a deadpan expression. "And you took that _Heroman_ name from anime."

"Hey, gimme a break! This is my first night on the job!"

"Don't worry," the younger Banzai Brother said as he pulled out a long lead pipe out of nowhere. "I'll help you get you a new name... How does Minced Meat sounds like?"

He then dashed towards Tadashi, ready to swing it at his head. The inventor moved to a fighting stance.

_**"Lil' Banzai Brother Super Attack-- Pipe Bash!"** _

Tadashi was ready for him. As the pipe swing down, the robotics student blocked it with his carbon-fiber gauntlet. Then he used a free hand to strike the man straight into his chin, knocking him backwards. The younger Banzai brother fell down, all knocked out.

"You know, calling out your moves when you're about to attack isn't going to be effective," Tadashi said to him. He then saw the older Banzai Brother furiously approaching him. "Hey, sorry about what I did to your brother--"

"He's not my brother, we're not even related!" The older Banzai Brother shouted. "We just played in the same mariachi band together!"

"Oh, really? Well, that would explain why you're uglier than him."

The Banzai Brother yelled and tried to him him, but Tadashi casually dodged his attacks and blocked his blows. At least the older 'brother' is more skilled in battle. They danced around while the crowd moved back as they continue to watch. Tadashi waited for an opening before landing a kick to the older Banzai Brother's gut, sending him flying into the mounds of dismembered robots. Tadashi thought the fight was over, but he saw several men circling him, with their fists and weapons up. The crowd realized this is getting dangerous and they quietly fled before they get hurt.

"Cocky punk, coming in here and dressed up like a dumb hero," one of them said as he twirl a rusty chain. "Playtime is over for you!"

"Hey, come now. These guys were just gonna beat up a kid--" Tadashi was about to reason with them when he saw Baymax finally made his appearance and stood awkwardly next to him.

"Hello, I am Baymax," the robot greeted them with a wave of his hand.

"Baymax, good timing!" Tadashi exclaimed.

"Is that a giant fighting robot?" one of the men asked.

"Doesn't matter what that thing is--we'll just turn them both into scrap metal!"

The men made their attack. Tadashi instructed Baymax to go for defense and attack when Tadashi ordered him. Tadashi fought off the men with his karate-skilled fists and kicks while Baymax protected his creator from the tougher men with their weapons. He controlled his strength by making sure he doesn't break their bodies like the wooden boards he trained back in the garage. Several men fell unconscious and the remaining few decided to run away in fear. The only remain in the area are Tadashi and Baymax, and the boy Yasuo who, was staring at them in awe as he holds his dragon-bot.

"Wow!" Yasuo said, his jaw dropped. "Y-you were cool. Are y-you two superheroes?"

"In a way, yes," Tadashi smiled and went over to him. He placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and crouch down to see him on an eye level. "Listen. This place is dangerous, you can't come here again. In fact, you should quit going to illegal gambling rings all together and play botfighting with kids your own age just to be safe."

"I know, but..." Yasuo trailed off, looking embarrassed. "The reason I came here is because Yuan forced me, and... I thought I could see Hiro Hamada."

Tadashi was taken surprise by this. Why does this kid want to meet his little brother?

"W-we're not in the same class so I don't know him that well," Yasuo continued as he played with his dragon-bot with his hands. He stared down at his feet shyly. "But we talked b-before in high school and he inspired me with his genius and creativity, and got me to take up b-botfighting while I was trying to deal with my asthma and heart c-condition."

He paused to catch his breath. A faint blush appeared on his face. "He said that he can't wait we b-battle each other with our bots, but I haven't heard from him ever since he graduated while I was still a freshman."

"He..." Tadashi wanted to tell Yasuo that Hiro died in an accident, but he couldn't bring himself to tell him the truth. "I bet he'd be so thrilled to meet you again and fight with someone like you. Your robot was amazing in that ring, by the way."

"Really?" Yasuo's eyes sparkled with joy. "M-my Shingo is alright, be he needed some adjustments..."

Just then, his cousin Yuan appeared and grabbed his arm. "There you are! I've been looking all over you. We're going home or the cops will be here."

"Just a moment," Tadashi stopped him. He crossed his arms. "I've been observing the way you treated your cousin earlier, and I don't like how you allowed those two men ready to hurt him. You better shape up your attitude and learn to appreciate him while he's still around, otherwise you'll regret someday."

Yuan looked a little ashamed for being told off. He sighed and looked at Yasuo.

"So, um... Your robot fought good, and we did win thanks to you," he said in an awkward tone. "So, I guess... sorry?"

Yasuo just nodded and held his hand. "Let's go home, cousin. Th-thanks for bringing me here."

The Lee cousins were about to leave but Baymax stopped them. He then offered Yasuo a lollipop which the young boy happily took and thanked the huge robot. The scene reminded Tadashi of Baymax giving Hiro a lollipop. While his heart ached as usual, he was smiling. 

* * *

Tadashi and Baymax returned home without trouble and they went upstairs without disturbing Aunt Cass. Tadashi decided to leave both his and Baymax's new armor in the garage so there's no risk of them being discovered. The inventor changed into his bed clothes and fell on his bed. It's been an exhausting day and so many things happened. He looked up to his bedside table and saw the memorial photo of Hiro. He reached out and takes the photo so he can stare longingly into his brother's haunting face.

Baymax walked to his inventor. "Tonight was rather interesting, Tadashi," he said. "I am slowly beginning to understand how karate makes me a better healthcare companion."

"I'm glad you thought of that," he said as he placed the photo back on top of the table before curling up in his bed.

"May I ask why the sudden interest of becoming a heroic acts?" The caregiver bot asked curiously.

"Oh, well..." Tadashi sat up and looked at his robot directly. "Hiro was a huge fan of sentai and fighting robots, and all the cool stuff kids his age loves. I just thought that... maybe it'll feel like he's alive if I upgraded you and dressed up as a superhero even though he's gone. Learning these new skills, the armor suits... It's like we're becoming heroes to not only catch the masked man and bring my brother justice, but also cement our roles as classic guardians of this city. I regretted a lot of things, but not this one. I feel like I can make so much of a difference if I take action."

Baymax listened to all this before patting Tadashi's head affectionately. "You must be so tired, your body needs eight hours of sleep," he said.

"I know, but... I haven't gotten good sleep lately," Tadashi sighed as he rested his head back on the pillow. "And it's not because I'm unable to fall asleep. It's the nightmares... I keep waking every time that night replays in my head. I keep dreaming of losing my brother again and again..."

Baymax left his side for a bit before getting a paper and pencil, and giving it to him. Tadashi stared at it in confusion.

"What is this?" he asked.

"Imagery rehearsal treatment is a promising cognitive behavioral therapy for recurrent nightmares, or nightmares caused by PTSD," Baymax replied. "It's a simple but a very effective process."

"Um, I don't know..." Tadashi become reluctant. He always believed that nothing would help him sleep peacefully, but since Baymax assisted him earlier tonight in the alleyways, he will try out this treatment. "... Alright, how does this work?"

Baymax explained, holding up his finger in a professional manner, "First, you jot down a brief description of a recent nightmare. If your most recent nightmare is too upsetting to think about, pick another. Second, think of a way to change the nightmare. I suggest to rely on your intuition to make an appropriate change. And then third, set aside a few minutes each day to imagine this altered version of the nightmare. Simply paint a mental picture of the altered version."

"So, that's it?" Tadashi asked, raising an eyebrow. "I just write down a nightmare and change it and picture it in my mind? That's crazy." He sighed and rubbed his neck. "Alright, big guy. I'll do this for you."

"Not for me. Do this for you."

Tadashi chuckled as he tried to write down his recurring nightmare, but it felt painful to write down the details since the memory was still fresh in his mind. The hardest part is making the right change of the nightmare; how does one change a blazing inferno into something more pleasant? He racked his brain but he came up with nothing.

"I need examples of a good change," he said to Baymax.

"How about a pleasant memory, something from your childhood?" the robot suggested.

Tadashi think again until he thought up something perfect. He wrote down the details of the dream, before settling comfortably in his bed. "Let's hope this works, buddy."

Baymax pulled the blanket over his creator and patted his head good-night. "I will be nearby in case you need me." He then walked over to his charging station, leaving Tadashi alone.

The inventor closed eyes and breathed deeply, letting himself fall into sleep and focusing on his re-imagined nightmare...

* * *

"Hiro!!" Tadashi's echoed voiced called out to his brother while the showcase burned before him. Why did he leave him alone? He has to go in there to save him!

Tadashi ran up the stairs, feeling the intense heat on his skin.

He was halfway there when the explosion happened, and he was thrown back in slow-motion.

**_No! My brother's in there! No, this can't be happening... Please, let me have a nice dream--!!_ **

_Wait... My brother can't be in there... The fire didn't happen at all... There was no showcase..._

He was still continuing backwards as the light engulfed him completely. When he landed, he saw orange, red, and yellow everywhere.

But they weren't flames.

"Tadashi! ... Tadashi!!"

Tadashi sat up and saw Hiro standing on a swing, moving back and forth while laughing at him. Tadashi looked down and saw him lying in a huge pile of fallen leaves. He realized this was autumn.

"Catch me, knucklehead!" Hiro shouted as he leaps from the swing and fell into his big brother's arms.

The two disappeared into the leaves and when they finally emerged, they were eight years younger again. The two laughed blissfully as they throw and rolled around in the leaves without a care in the world.

Then they heard their Aunt Cass in the distance.

"Boys, it's lunch. Get your spicy chicken wings!"

"Last one's there a rotten egg!" Eleven-year-old Tadashi said, already making a head start.

Six-year-old Hiro tried to follow him but he tripped over and cried in pain. Tadashi stopped and hurried back to him.

"Hiro?! Are you alright?"

Hiro suddenly gave a cheeky grin. "Sucker!" he stuck his tongue out at him and ran ahead. There was no scratch on him at all.

Tadashi rolled his eyes but he joined up with his family. The three of them sat on a picnic blanket and enjoyed their hot wings while they watch more orange leaves fall around them. Hiro yawned and placed his head on Tadashi's lap before he dozed off. Tadashi didn't mind and stroked his fluffy hair.

It was the most perfect day ever.

* * *

When Tadashi woke up the following morning, it was bright outside his window. He felt strangely refreshed. For the first time in weeks, he didn't wake up feeling terrified and helpless. He saw Baymax waiting nearby.

"Did you sleep well, Tadashi?" he asked in a kind tone. "No troubling dreams?"

Tadashi ran a hand through his hair, feeling oddly peaceful. "I think so," he said. He thought of something; he has to go find his aunt. "Will you excuse me, I'll be right back."

The inventor walked down the stairs and saw his aunt putting away some stuff before she opens the cafe. She was surprised to see him up.

"Tadashi, hey," Cass greeted him with a smile. "Do you want any breakfast, sweetie?"

"Um, yeah, I do actually," Tadashi said. "But I'll fix it myself, don't worry about it. Anyways, I have something to ask from you."

Cass approached, giving him her full attention. "Sure, what is it?"

Tadashi inhaled and hold her shoulders. "Can you fix me a plate of your spicy chicken wings tonight for dinner? I feel like having some."

"Wait, are you sure?" Cass asked in surprise. "I thought you lost interest in them."

"Well, something came up and... I had a good sleep and I feel like eating some. It's a good feeling!" Tadashi tried to explain the best he can to her, Cass finally got his message. She made a big smiled and pulled her nephew into a tight hug.

"Honey, I'm so glad to hear that," she said. "I'll make plenty tonight and we'll be feeling them tomorrow in the morning. Anyways, I gotta go. Got a cafe to run."

Aunt Cass skipped off, squealing and rambling happily. Tadashi felt Mochi curling up against his legs, purring with joy. The inventor realized things are starting to go better for him. However, he still has a masked man to catch. Tonight after dinner, he and Baymax will be returning to the warehouse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Thus ends the "filler" chapter. BTW, the characters Fujita and the Banzai Brothers are more or less based on the deleted villains from the Big Hero 6 artbook, and I've been wanting to put them somewhere in a fic.))
> 
> ((Here's a fun trivia: When Tadashi calls himself Big Heroman, I made a reference to a real manga/anime series called "Heroman". It's about a boy and his robot (sounds familiar to BH6, eh?) and the story is written by Stan Lee! There is even a caricature of Stan Lee who appears multiple times in the anime and manga.))


	7. Demons of Speed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tadashi and Baymax return to the warehouse, though they didn't count on Tadashi's friends showing up unexpectedly.

As Tadashi downs his breakfast, Baymax came downstairs to see him since Tadashi didn't return like he promised earlier. 

"Your mood seem to be elevated though not so much, but it's an improvement," Baymax observed after scanning his creator. "I advise not to eat your food too quickly to prevent indigestion, bloating, and flatulence."

Tadashi's face went red but he started chewing his food slowly at Baymax's suggestion. His eyes traveled down the newspaper to read some news; he read how a couple of employees of Krei Tech Industries went missing two days ago when they went home together after work. Tadashi stared at the name 'Krei', and he remembered the long-nosed entrepreneur who tried to buy Hiro's microbots at the showcase. Feeling mild annoyed, he remembered how Krei almost tried to walk off with a single microbot if Tadashi hadn't spoke up and stop him. It was also the very same microbot that wasn't stolen with the rest by that man in the Kabuki mask. Tadashi recalled how Professor Callaghan didn't seem to like him and told him how Krei would "ignore sound science and cut corners to get where he was today", thus giving Tadashi a reason why he wouldn't manufacture caregiver bots with Krei Tech.

Tadashi finished his meal and washed it down with orange juice. The news of Krei's missing employees were pushed out of his head as he focused on other important things.

"You ready for another round of karate practice, Baymax?" Tadashi asked as he cleared away the dishes.

"If it would help you stabilize your emotional distress, I am ready," Baymax replied.

Tadashi smiled. Just then he heard his cellphone ringing upstairs. "Wait right here, buddy."

The inventor hurried upstairs and picked up his cellphone. He recognized the Godzilla scream ringtone. Reluctantly, he turned it on and begin to speak.

"Hey, Fred," he said. It felt so weird to speak to the college mascot after screaming at him to leave his home yesterday.

"Tadashi, thank goodness you picked up!" Fred said, he sound relieved to hear Tadashi's voice. "It's been a while since we talked, right? Sorry for not coming by last night when you contacted me. Something came up, and--"

"Fred, will you please cut to the chase and tell me why you're calling me?" Tadashi snapped, his irritation returned though it wasn't as bad last time.

"Okay, okay. Did you see my blog recently? It's been all over Nicotube! Apparently, someone dressed up like a sentai and beat up some guys over at Red Sakura alley after breaking up a botfighting ring. Someone had filmed the fight and it's gotten over thousands of views overnight!"

Tadashi immediately turned on his computer and checked online. Fred is right, someone had used a phone camera to film his and Baymax's fight against those punks. The video quality and audio is terrible but he was glad nobody would at least recognize his and Baymax's faces and voices. He was almost worried that people might use the video to recognize him. He had to admit, he felt a little pleased that he was considered a hero. He scanned down to read some comments of some "eyewitnesses" who claimed they've seen "Big Heroman" doing some corny sentai poses and shouting off moves in addition to "kicking butts" and saving a kid.

"I **never** did such a thing," Tadashi mumbled. _Where are people getting this idea...?_

"Never did what?" Fred asked. Tadashi's heart skipped a beat, his friend is still on the line!

"Oh, nothing! I was talking to... my cat."

"You talk to your cat? Man, you're weird."

"Oh, and wearing underwear for four days straight isn't?" Tadashi asked, smirking.

"It's called _recycling_. But, Tadashi, aren't you excited! We have a real superhero in the city! How cool is that?!"

"Yeah, it does sound amazing..."

"I hope I can meet Big Heroman and get his autograph. Do you think he would be okay if I let him sign my underwear?"

Tadashi blushed and shivered in disgust. "You're just looking for another excuse not to do your laundry!"

"You caught me, man," Fred laughed. "Seriously, Tadashi--A _**REAL**_ SUPERHERO." Fred is starting to sound like he's having a hero crush; the last time Tadashi heard Fred sound like this, he was rambling non-stop about some comic superheroine named Fusion Girl and it annoyed the others to the point they avoid mentioning her name or the comic series she starred in if he's around.

"Well, if you like him so much, why don't you just marry him?"

Fred laughed sarcastically on his end. "Hilarious. Hey, since today is Saturday, you wanna hang out? I don't think the other could join us cuz I'm pretty they had their part-time jobs to go to. It'll just be the two of us, but it's going to be fun! Whaddaya say, Tadashi?"

Tadashi wanted to say yes; a part of him longed to spend a long afternoon with his friend and hang out in karaoke boxes or have private parties like they always did before the showcase incident. He really missed those days. And despite how odd Fred appeared and acted, and isn't student who is brilliant in any scientific field, Tadashi really enjoyed his company. A small part of him wanted to tell Fred that he's "Big Heroman", and maybe ask him to help him catch the masked man. But something pulled him back and he felt empty all over.

_No, I can't put his life or anyone else in danger to help me. This is my business, so I'll be the one to take care of this._

"I'm going to say no on this one, Fred. I'm... I'm occupied with something else."

He heard silence over at the other end before Fred finally spoke up. "Alright, I'll come by tomorrow. If that's alright with you--" Tadashi didn't wait for him to finish. He hung up and changed out of his bed clothes in silence. When he came down, Baymax is waiting for him.

"You look distracted, what seems to be the trouble?" the robot asked.

"Oh, nothing's wrong, I'm just thinking," Tadashi replied, trying to smile. "Anyways, we got some training to do."

* * *

Down in the garage, Tadashi and Baymax continued practicing karate and sparring each other in their upgraded suits. While their patrol last night was a success, the inventor thinks he and Baymax could do better and he was glad the two of them didn't return to the warehouse last night since the two still need a lot of practice and Tadashi believes he could add a few adjustments to his suit. After looking up some videos of ninjas fighting, Tadashi gets an idea of using retractable metal cables which can be stored and shot out from his gauntlets and they can be highly versatile in battle. With them, he would be able to perform considerable feats of acrobatics, easily maneuvering around locations which could not be reached by normal human means.

It took him a few hours to make the cables but several more to practice them; he had to learn to make sure they the cable hooks hit and grab hold tight onto the target without falling off. Any whiplashes from the cables snapping back could have left some scars on his body if he didn't wear his armor. Though he was determined to become stronger for the sake of catching the masked man and stop him for defiling Hiro's memory by using the microbots.

The entire garage was a mess when the sun is starting to set in the afternoon, but Tadashi has now learn to swing and maneuver around the garage quickly and smoothly like a ninja, using his feet and legs to support himself against the walls and to protect him from the impact. Baymax, his armor removed, watched him while he sweep the floor full covered in dust from the wooden and cinder blocks he practiced on.

"You are moving way too faster and higher," the caregiver bot said. "Please exercise caution, Tadashi, or you will run the risk of bodily harm."

At that moment, Tadashi's cable finally gave out and he gave a scream as he fell. Luckily, Baymax was there to catch him with his balloon-like vinyl arms. Tadashi was panting and sweating heavily from the workout, but he was thrilled of how successful his experiment worked.

"Thanks for catching me," Tadashi smiled as he got down from Baymax's arms. He gulped down a glass of cool water before flopping on a nearby swivel chair. "You know, Baymax... since you scan people from a good distance, I might need you to scan the masked man next time we meet him. Can you do that for me, buddy?"

"I am programmed to assess everyone's health-care needs," Baymax stated.

"Great! Your readings might give us clues to his real identity," Tadashi nodded. He cracked his knuckles and wiped the sweat from his brow. "We're ready to catch the guy. We'll leave after Aunt Cass goes to bed. In the mean time, better return to your charging station and get your batteries full."

Relaxing, Tadashi began to idly check out other scrapped invention designs Hiro has in his computer files. After checking the dates when they've been made, apparently they were made during Hiro's leisure breaks when building the microbots. _Does this kid ever built anything other than robots?_   He thought, shaking his head. However, some creations did caught his eye and they seemed more advanced compared to the normal battle bots used for average botfighting.

He found one robot design with electro-magnetic disc wheels used to increase speed, velocity and agility; the same discs can also be used as dangerous weapons capable of causing quite a lot of damage once flung to a specific target. Once the target is hit (if at all) the discs magnetically return to the suit, enabling instant reuse. 

Another design shows a robot with laser-induced plasma blades which can be retracted in the forearms; Tadashi guessed this robot would use its razor sharp blades to slice through most, if not all, its opponents with relative ease.

A third design pops up and it shows a robot that appeared to have a mini chemical lab inside full of advanced polyethylene shells. There's a special remote controller that comes with this robot with a touch screen encoded with the periodic table. The syringes inside the robot inject the chosen chemicals into the "chem-capsules" before shooting them out from the robot's body; the concoctions include hardening foam to halt movement, cushioning foam to break falls, ice to freeze enemies, and smokescreens for camouflage.

The last robot design seems rather interesting. It reminded him of the dragon-bots he saw last night, thought it appears more kaiju-like in appearance. Its exoskeleton enables robot to jump incredibly high, and it contains a flamethrower installed in its mouth. The body is also flame-resistant and is equipped with claws.

Tadashi was so impressed with all these creations and a small part of him wished Hiro was still around so he could tell him how talented he was to come up with these inventions. Even the inventor couldn't think up something this creative and he began to feel jealous of his brother...

It was strange but Tadashi realized that these four designs reminded him of his college friends and their specialties. _Maybe Hiro was inspired by them?_ he thought. He did introduce his brother to his friends on his first visit to SFIT, and Hiro has taken interest in them. Tadashi found himself wistfully remembering the months his friends often came by the Hamada household a couple of times for pizza lunches, and to check up on whatever Hiro is doing. All five of them encouraged the obsessed kid to continue his invention, and even provide him tips on how to save his schematics and progresses of his showcase project. To see Hiro enjoying the college group's company gave Tadashi so much happiness since Hiro rarely made friends because he was often a loner due to his high intelligence.

His stomach suddenly began to make a loud growl and Tadashi realized it was almost dinner time. He decided to take a quick shower first so his aunt won't ask questions why he's covered in dust and sweat.

* * *

Tadashi just covered the armor suits with a tarp when Aunt Cass walked into the garage. "Tadashi--"

"Aunt Cass!" Tadashi yelled, and moved in front to hide the bulky tarp so she wouldn't notice it. He puts on a forced cheerful smile. "I didn't know you'll be coming here!"

"I just wanted to see how's my college man doing," she said as she playfully punched his arm. "I haven't seen you all day. Have you been working on some school homework."

"Oh! Yes, I am," the inventor nodded quickly. "I've been very busy..."

Just then, Baymax rose from his red suitcase and approached the two. He looked down at Aunt Cass and waved at her. "Hello, I am Baymax. I am Tadashi's personal healthcare companion."

Aunt Cass' eyes went wide and approached the balloon robot in awe. While she was checking it out, Tadashi used this opportunity to slide the bulky tarp near the corner so his aunt wouldn't see it.

"Is this a robot, Tadashi?" she asked curiously.

"Yup, I built him at SFIT," Tadashi replied, trying to sound casual. "His name is Baymax, he's a caregiver robot."

"This is so incredible!" Aunt Cass said, grinning. "He reminds me of giant marshmallow, ohhh he's so adorable~!" Then she paused. "What does he mean when he said he's your personal healthcare companion?"

Before Tadashi can reply, Baymas spoke up. "I am helping Tadashi recovering personal loss and improvement of his emotional state state."

 _"Baymax, shush!"_ Tadashi mouthed Baymax to be quiet behind his aunt; he didn't want Baymax to reveal his plans to catch some dangerous criminal who was responsible for the fire and theft of Hiro's microbots. However, Cass didn't seem to notice her nephew behind her and she looked saddened. But she gave the robot a grateful smile.

"Well... Don't give up on him, Baymax. He definitely needs someone like you," she said softly and then turning around, a bright smile on her face. "So, I better start up those chicken wings, they can't cook themselves!" Before she leaves, she gave Tadashi another hug.

Tadashi watches her walk out of the garage and a small guilt began eating him inside. She doesn't know what her remaining nephew is planning to do, and Tadashi is determined to survive his encounter with the masked man. Aunt Cass lost so many of her family before she raised him and Hiro, and he doesn't want to see her unhappy again.

* * *

After dinner was finished and when Cass went to bed early, Tadashi and Baymax don their suits and quietly sneaked out. The two made their way back to the warehouse, never noticing that a car was following them with every step of the way. After what it seemed like forever, Tadashi finally found the dark, abandoned alleyway that leads straight to the warehouse and saw the building up ahead.

Tadashi and Baymax stood outside the warehouse. The robotics student was shivering a little. He was getting so scared, he wanted to turn back. But he had to move forward for Hiro's sake.

"Your heart rate has increased," said Baymax.

"Sshhh," Tadashi whispered as he checked the rusty irons holding the door closed. "Okay, time to use those upgrades."

Then they heard a car approaching and were suddenly drowned in bright light. Frozen in place, Tadashi tried to see who caught them when the driver turned off the headlights. To his shock, Tadashi saw his four friends stepping out of a van and Wasabi is the driver.

"Tadashi!" Honey called out to him. 

"Wait, what are you guys doing here?!" Tadashi yelled. He turned to Baymax but the robot said, "I didn't contact them just like what you told me to."

"Baymax, is that you?" Wasabi asked as he and the others came closer.

"No, get out of here! You're not safe here!" Tadashi tried to push them away. They had no idea what danger they were walking into and the longer they stay here, the sooner the masked man will find them.

"Baymax, why is Tadashi wearing carbon-fiber underpants?" Gogo asked the robot.

"He's trying to catch a criminal," Baymax replied.

"Criminal?" Gogo turned to the inventor and stared into him with a raised eyebrow. "I knew there was something familiar about the mysterious guy who interrupted the botfighting ring from the Nicotube video."

"You knew it was me?" Tadashi was shocked. "What gave it away?"

Gogo stuck a thumb at Baymax's direction. "Honestly. How many robots do you ever see this round and big in San Fransokyo?" she asked. 

"I also know karate," Baymax stated as he swing his arms.

Fred leaned closer to Tadashi, his jawdropped and he was making low panting noises. He look starstrucked. "Tadashi, you're Big Heroman...?"

"Yes, sorry for not letting you know earlier, but you can't stay--" Tadashi was then interrupted.

_"Can you sign my underwear?"_

"Tadashi," Wasabi began. "What's going on, man?"

"This is what have you been doing, Tadashi?" Gogo said. "You and Baymax dressing up like heroes and taking down petty crooks?"

 _"It's none of your business what I do!"_ Tadashi hissed. He took a deep breath. "Look, you guys need to go--"

"No," Honey said firmly as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't... don't push us away,Tadashi. We're here for you."

Tadashi stammered in frustration but then Baymax interrupted him.

"Those who suffer a loss require support from friends and loved ones," Baymax spoke to the entire group. "Who would like to share their feelings first?"

Fred immediately raised a hand and stepped forward. "Ooh, I'll go! My name is Fred, and it's been thirty days since my last--" he was stopped when Tadashi screamed.

_**"Enough!"** _

Everyone became quiet and stared at Tadashi with concerned expressions. The latter breathed heavily before removing his helmet so he can look at them clearly. 

"Guys, you cannot be here," he said to the four. "I have to do something that's really important, and it's going to be dangerous."

"Well, you're not going anywhere without us," Gogo told him.

Tadashi glared at her. "Yes. I am."

Thinking quickly, his gauntlet shot a cable above their heads and stuck into a wall near an open window. He flew up into the air and jumped inside the window with ease. He ignored his friends' shouts and moved down the rickety stairs as fast and silent as he can.

* * *

He peered into the dark warehouse and it seemed more foreboding and quiet than it was in the daylight. Tadashi pulled out the petri dish containing the single microbot and noticed it was shaking before it fell silent. The masked man is somewhere inside.

Heart pounding wildly, he pocketed the petri dish and retraced his steps and found the area where the oil drums holding the microbots. To Tadashi's horror, hundreds of oil drums filled with microbots appeared before his eyes. It seemed the masked man has found ways to fixed the machine inside the tarp tent. He found the wall full of mysterious papers again and decide to read some information that might be useful. He found another name, "Akuma Island", and a pictures of what to be various people. He immediately recognized two of them, since he saw their pictures and names on the newspaper this morning: they were the two Krei Tech employees who were confirmed to be missing!

"What's going on here?" he wondered out loud.

He then heard a loud crash. It sounded like someone had smashed the front door open. He turned around and saw Baymax and his friends rushing into the warehouse. Baymax must have punched down the door.

"There you are, you idiot! What have you been thinking?" Gogo demanded. She looked ready to strangle him.

"Hey, doing that stunt with the cable would have hurt you!" Wasabi said.

"Baymax, you let them inside?!" Tadashi shouted at his robot who seemed unfazed by this. "Your job is to make sure they won't be endangered!"

"You left me behind as well," Baymax reminded him. "I cannot abandon my patient--"

 _ **"Holy mother of Megazon!!"**_ Fred suddenly screamed.

A low, angry buzz and metallic clicking rose behind them. Everyone turned to see the thousands of microbots slowly rising out from the oil drums in a menacing swarm. Everyone stared in frozen horror, except for Honey; she slowly pulled out her camera and took a photo. The flash seemed to alert the microbots and threw an empty oil drum at them. Wasabi screamed like a little girl and braced himself for the blow. However, Baymax quickly caught the oil drum and tossed it aside. The microbots began throwing more oil drums at the group, though Baymax keep catching them and hitting them to protect the other.

The others, meanwhile, grabbed Tadashi and forcefully pulled him along to prevent him from getting hurt. They ran out of the warehouse and piled inside the van much to Tadashi's protest.

"Let me go! Baymax and I can handle this!" Tadashi shouted.

They heard a faint THUMP and Baymax's body suddenly crashed through the wall of the warehouse and landed on the roof of Wasabi's car.

"Oh no," Baymax said.

"Baymax, are you alright?" Tadashi asked.

"My scanners have been mildly damaged, I was unable to scan him. I apologize."

Tadashi swore.

Then a figure wearing a Kabuki mask and a black trench coat appeared at the hole made by Baymax's body. He was supported by the microbots and he looked dangerous. On cue, Wasabi floored it and the van zoomed away with masked man and the microbots right behind it. Gogo narrowed her eyes and turned to Tadashi.

"Tadashi. Explain. Now!" she demanded.

"He stole Hiro's microbots, he started the fire!" Tadashi said, trying to keep his cool. "I don't know him, but I had to catch him!"

"I don't know about you-- but _he's_ trying to catch _us_!" Wasabi shouted as he tried to drive through the narrow streets.

"Hard left!" Gogo shouted, and they turned a corner with tires squealing. Microbots stream toward them as the masked man tries to catch up with them.

Fred stare at him from the backseat. "That mask, black suit... We're under attack from a supervillain, people! I mean, it's scary--but how cool is that?!" he grinned excitedly.

"This isn't a comic book story, Fred!" Tadashi cried.

"Oh, you dressing up a sentai to take him down is?" Gogo snorted. Then the car jolted into a stop. She turned to Wasabi, nearly speechless. "Why have we stopped?"

"The light's red!" Wasabi exclaimed.

Tadashi groaned while he listened to Gogo screaming at Wasabi about how they are no red lights in a car chase. They started moving again and they whipped into another street. Tadashi was surprised to see that there are no police cars around at this late hour, or nobody else awake to see this strange but scary incident.

Wasabi leaned out from the car window, looked toward the masked man and yelled, "Hey, why are you trying to kill us?!"

"We saw too much! It's classic villain stuff!" Fred replied.

Honey tried to keep everyone calm with a nervous smile. "Let's not jump to conclusions, we don't know if he's trying to kill us!"

At that moment, the masked man threw a car at them and either Wasabi was quick enough to maneuver out of the way, or the man had a poor aim. Either way, the car missed them. Gogo couldn't take another second. She took out her gum and stuck it into Tadashi's helmet much to his surprise.

"Hold this," she told him in a furious tone.

She pushed back Wasabi's seat and slide into his lap. She grabbed the wheel and slammed the gas pedal with her foot. The car hurtled forward.

Tadashi took Gogo's seat in the front. "Guys, we have to lose him quick! He's gaining on us!" he yelled.

Gogo nodded and whipped the van through the streets with expert ease, keeping her cool. Tadashi glanced out the window and saw the masked man. His heart was beating rapidly and was shaking with fear and anger. _He was so close_... Images of the fire and the explosion flashed before Tadashi's eyes. That man was responsible for Hiro and Callaghan's deaths.

 ** _He killed my brother!_** Tadashi thought as rage began to fill up inside his chest. _I have to destroy him!!_

Without thinking, Tadashi kicked down the passenger's door.

"Tadashi, what are you doing?!" Honey screamed worriedly.

"Stop the car, now! I have to stop him!" he yelled in response. He was about to use the cable to jump out when Baymax grabbed him by the back and pushed him back into the seat. "Baymax--?!"

"Tadashi, don't," Baymax said. Then he buckled up Tadashi in his seat. "Seat belts save lives," he added in a cheery tone.

"Are you crazy? He's trying to kill us!" Wasabi scolded Tadashi, but the latter didn't seem to listen to him.

Suddenly the masked man and the microbots disappeared. For a moment, everyone thought he has given up. Then they found themselves moving up a ramp made of microbots. The ramp turned into a tunnel and it was closing in on them. Gogo zoomed faster towards the exit as everyone else braced. Tadashi looked around and for one moment, he saw Hiro sitting between Fred and Honey in the backseat.

The van broke through the microbots and it fell nosefirst into the waters of the bay. The masked man watched it sink and disappear. Then he and the microbots retreated into the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Whew! Another chapter finished! I'm so glad I was able to write this chapter since I had difficulties writing this down. I don't have much to say, but enjoy the cliffhanger~))


	8. Immortals Don't Exist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tadashi decides to start a superhero team to catch the masked man.

**_Eight Years Ago._ **

_"Ow, it stings!" s_ ix-year-old Hiro wailed. His big brother was cleaning his scrapes as the two sat in their bedroom. _"Stop, you're making my skin melt!"_

"You're exaggerating," eleven-year-old Tadashi said. "If you're a big boy, don't cry over this much."

Hiro pouted. "Says the guy who screams and begs Aunt Cass not to take him to the dentist."

Tadashi rolled his and just laughed while he applied the bandages on Hiro's skin. Then he takes out a small bag of gummy bears and hands it to Hiro. 

"Here, Hiro," he said, smiling. "You were noisy, but this is a reward for letting me treat you."

Hiro's eyes shone bright and he happily opens the bag after thanking his brother. Tadashi leaned back as he watched Hiro fill his cheeks with colorful gummy candy. He thought back to the time earlier when he chased away a group of older boys after he caught them kicking Hiro to the ground and teasing him. He felt disgusted, why would someone pick on a little kid like that?

"Hiro, are you really okay?" he asked softly. "Those guys didn't really do anything else to you, did they?"

Hiro became quiet as he chewed his candy slowly. Then he averted his gaze away; his face filled with shame.

"It's nothing, we just had a little fight," the messy-haired boy said quietly.

"Nothing? Hiro, they're bullies!" Tadashi said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Why are you excusing their actions?"

Hiro flinched away and he gripped the gummy bear pack in his hands. Then he muttered something under his breath and Tadashi had to make him repeat it.

"They called me a nerd because I'm smarter than them," Hiro finally said, his voice sound shaky and broken.

Tadashi stared at him in shock and he felt anger at the boys who hurt Hiro's body and confidence. He pulled Hiro into a hug and rub his back while Hiro's entire body shook.

"They're just jerks, Hiro," he told them kindly. "They don't understand how brilliant you are because you solved a mathematical theorem and you're going to a higher-grade school even though you're pretty young. You're a genius, Hiro, be proud of that. Sure, you'll be taking the same classes with me and along with older kids, but I'll be there to guide you the entire time."

Tadashi became quiet when he saw Hiro still looked sad and unsure. He then gets an idea and pulls up Hiro's shirt without warning.

"Hey, what are you doing--?!" Hiro demanded.

Not replying, Tadashi blew a huge raspberry on Hiro's belly. The little boy burst out laughing and kicked his feet happily as he tried to push his brother away.

"Tadashi, you meanieee! St-stop--ahahaha!!" he giggled.

"No way!" Tadashi snickered as he tickled Hiro's sides.

* * *

**_Today._ **

Tadashi's life flashed before his eyes. He couldn't remember what exactly happened until he noticed the van is quickly filling up with water. He quickly held his breath before he got completely submerged. He blinked through the faintly lit seawater and he found out the car had landed at the bottom of the bay. A horrible thought brought a cold child down his spine: _his friends!_ He saw them struggling to escape from inside the car and he hastily tried to unlock his seatbelt so he can save them. If they die, it's because of his fault. He should have made them leave earlier before he went inside the warehouse. Now they're going to drown because of him.

He felt his head getting lighter and his chest ready to explode. No, he can't die yet! He has to save his friends... His aunt's waiting for him... He still needs to catch the masked man...

Then he heard the faint sound of something heavy falling into the sand nearby. He looked around to see Baymax's white hand reaching for him. 

* * *

Baymax's balloon body, now free of the heavy carbon-fiber armor, burst into the surface of the dark water and bobbed onto his back. The the five college friends cling on too of his stomach, coughing and gasping for air. They were all saved.

"Your injuries require my attention," Baymax told them. "And your body temperatures are low."

Tadashi sighed with relief, seeing all his friends saved in time though his heart is still hammering after their frightening encounter with the masked man. Whoever it was under the Kabuki mask, he came close to killing them. It was a shame he wasn't able to catch him tonight, but at least Tadashi learned some new clues. The robotics student decided to focus on the group's safety before he decides what's the next plan.

"We should get out of here," Tadashi said to the others, his teeth chattering. They need to get warm up as quickly as possible before they catch hypothermia. He notice Fred's face brightening up.

"I know a place," the school mascot said. 

* * *

Within an hour, Tadashi and his friends were all leaning up against Baymax's warm body while sitting in the middle of Fred's room. The others were shocked to learn that Fred's home is located in the most exclusive suburb of San Fransokyo. Tadashi wasn't surprised since he already knew Fred being secretly rich long before the others did, though he never ventured inside the huge mansion before until now.

"It's like spooning a warm marshmallow~" Fred sighed as lay on top of Baymax's back.

"Hmm, it's making me feel less bad for losing my van," Wasabi agreed, though the mention of his lost car made him sniffled a bit. "How am I going to explain my kid sister that we don't have a car now."

"Hey, I'll help replace it!" Fred suggested. "Besides, that's how I was able to help get some of the materials Tadashi need to build Baymax!"

"... That would explain why Tadashi tolerated you enough to hang out with us," Wasabi muttered. "I thought of a different reason..."

Tadashi had removed all of his carbon-fiber armor and he's now pacing around the room, looking at the picture of the mysterious bird symbol he drew as well as words he read from the papers he remembered from the warehouse. He managed to explain to them his findings in the warehouse, including the strange conversation he overheard from the mysterious woman.

"You guys seriously don't know what this symbol and Silent Sparrow means?" Tadashi asked, looking at his friends.

"Tadashi, if we know, we'd tell you," Gogo said as she popped a new bubblegum. "The only thing we know is that Akuma Island, and it's that island located off-coast from this city."

"Well, then... _what_ do we know about Akuma Island?" Tadashi asked, waiting for some answers. His clueless friends looked at each other. They were stumped.

Tadashi sighed and flopped on the couch, running a hand through his damp hair. 

"Whoever the masked man is, he's using my brother's microbots and he wants something to do with that island."

"Tadashi," Honey and the others joined him on the couch after they're warmed enough. "Are you really sure this is the same man who started the fire?"

"I know it's him," Tadashi said, clenching the paper tight. "He didn't seem to care if people got hurt or killed as long he got those microbots."

"But there was a lot of people who watched Hiro's demonstration," Wasabi pointed out. "Who would be so desperate to steal his invention?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Fred suddenly spoke up. The was a glint in his eyes.

He dropped various comic books into their hands and began naming off different supervillains and criminals who are secretly millionaires. Then he turned on the giant TV screen to show his number-one suspect for the masked man.

"Our Mister Kabuki Guy is none other than... Alistair Krei!" he exclaimed.

Everyone gaped at him.

"You're kidding!" Wasabi cried, raising an eyebrow.

"He was at the showcase that day, remember?" Fred reminded them. "He wanted to buy the microbots but Hiro turned him down. Now he stole them!"

"That's a good point, Freddie," Honey said. "But... he's kind of high profile, isn't he?"

"And if he's that masked lunatic, why would he need those microbots?" Gogo argued.

"Profit, power, and taking over the world," Fred replied. "I bet he's making a doomsday machine in Akuma Island."

"Fred," Tadashi finally spoke up and he sets down the comic book he just looked over. He walked over to Fred. "While your theory seems plausible, you have to remember not all supervillains are rich guys."

"What are you implying, Tadashi?" Honey inquired.

"The masked man knows how the microbots worked, and how to build them," the inventor said. "If we're going by comic book logic... our masked man has to be a scientist."

"That's where the missing employees comes in!" Fred piped up. "They were engineers who worked for Krei!"

"Wait, Alistair Krei kidnapping his own employees? That doesn't make sense," Wasabi said.

Tadashi became unnaturally silent and expression became cold as he wandered off from the group. Baymax waddled over to him. The inventor noticed his robot's presence and remembered something.

"Baymax, how are your scanners?" he asked. "You said they were damaged?"

"It isn't serious, since I was still able to sense you were in need of my aid earlier," Baymax said. "With some minor fixing, they should be working good as they were before. I deeply apologizing for not scanning the masked man earlier as possible."

Tadashi nodded and patted his arm. "It's alright, buddy. We'll have to figure out something else."

He clutched his head, trying to think hard There is no dead end to this, he has to think of a new angle. ... _Hold the phone._ Tadashi takes out the petri dish to see the lone microbot. It's moving a little so the masked man is still on the loose. 

"I know how to find him!" Tadashi chimed up excitedly. "This microbot is still attracted to the others. It only moves when he's active, but it will lead us to him."

"Hang on," Gogo stopped him. "San Fransokyo is huge, and he could be anywhere. To find him, you'd have to patrol the entire city while relying on one, single nanobot. And that takes, you know, forever."

"I'll just have to duplicate the eletromagnetic schematics so I don't have to rely on a single direction." The gears in Tadashi's head are turning faster with this spark of inspiration. He paused. "He's responsible for Hiro's death, and I have to stop him whatever he's planning."

He looked at his friends expecting them to stop him or tell him he's crazy.

Gogo exchanged glances with the others before standing up. "If you're going to do this, then you're going to need our help," she said.

Tadashi was taken aback, his eyes widen. "Wait, what?"

Fred stood next to her. "How soon do we start finding him?" he asked.

"Hang on, wait a sec..."

Wasabi interrupted him, "We nearly got killed by a man in a Kabuki mask. But if catching him brings Hiro justice, then I'm in."

Honey agreed, nodding. "I mean, we're the only ones who could do it, right?"

"Support from friends is a requirement for the healing process," Baymax stated.

 _ **"Listen to me!"**_ Tadashi yelled. "You all nearly died because of I didn't warn you about the danger. You can't do this with me, because it's my responsibility. I'm not..." His tone wavered and he glanced down, looking scared and defeated. "I'm not strong enough to protect all of you."

"You're our best friend, Tadashi," Gogo said, putting a hand on his shoulder which made him turn to her. She gave him a soft, warm look, which he has never seen on her face before. "After Hiro died and you shut yourself away, we never gave up on you. And we're not planning on doing it any time soon."

The others came up and placed their hands on his back. 

"Hiro's not only your little brother, but he's one of us," Fred said. "The masked man messes with you, he messes with all of us!"

Tadashi stared at his friends and felt his eyes becoming watery. However, he quickly dried his tears.

"I was such an idiot," he said with a weak smile. "I pushed you away for weeks and here you all are, ready to stand by me."

"It's alright," Wasabi shrugged. "But we still don't know how we can go up against that guy. We're nerds!"

"No," Tadashi said as he stared up a huge picture of a group of superheroes. He remembered his brief stint as Big Heroman. "We can be something more..."

* * *

Somewhere in the other side of San Fransokyo, a male engineer expert just ended his shift at a technological lab which is affiliated to Krei Tech Industries. He stepped into his apartment and turned on his laptop for last minute checking of his assignment before heading off to bed. 

He didn't notice a shadowy figure moving outside his apartment. With exhausted smile, he turned closed his laptop for the night. Then he felt a cold breeze blowing into the room and he found it odd; he remembered closing his window earlier this morning before leaving for work.

He turned around to see a tall person wearing a Kabuki mask glaring at him at his window. The expert quickly picked up the phone to call the police but the masked person quickly used the microbots to grab him and knock him out. After carrying him outside through the window, the masked man then tossed what looks like a metallic ball into the room at the technician's direction before leaping off. The grenade beeped loudly and glowed...

A huge burst of explosion was set off in the apartment, and the fire department and police was alerted by terrified neighbors. The Kabuki-masked man watch the fire consume the technician's apartment with the unconscious expert being carried by the microbots. He adjusted his mask before he disappeared into the shadows. 

* * *

The expert slowly awakened but before he can see where he is, he is roughly thrown into a dark, metal room. He groaned in pain and looked up to see he was not alone in the room. He saw about four other people but he recognized them immediately; they all worked on a government project at Akuma Island.

"Moon, are you alright!" A terrified female technician asked him.

"I'm not hurt, but..." Moon shook his head as he sat and moved closer to the others. "Where are we?"

"I don't know," a male engineer said. "But Jones and I have been kidnapped before you after leaving Krei Tech together. Some guy in a Kabuki mask knocked us out and left us here in this room, so we don't know exactly where we are."

"Kabuki mask... Who on earth is he and what does he want from us?!" Moon demanded, trying not to panic.

 _"You all know perfectly who I am,"_ a voice said behind them. The masked man menacingly approached them, with the microbots moving around his feet and up against the walls. The five scientists scrambled into the corner in fear.

The dark-clothed figure raised the Kabuki mask a bit to reveal his face, and Moon gasped in shock.

"It can't be...!"

 _"You cannot leave this place,"_ the masked man coldly told them after putting down the mask. _"I have... an important job for all of you, and I will make sure it'll be carried out."_

"Listen," the expert began. He tried to reason with him but he was trembling all over. "If it's money you want, we can get you some--"

 _"Be silent or I'll have the microbots inflict pain into your body in ways you don't want to imagine,"_ the masked man snapped harshly. Then he opened the blueprint and showed the scientist what looks like a giant circle of a portal. _"If you want to live longer, I suggest you better start using your brains wisely."_

"Why are you doing this?" the female technician whimpered.

 _"Haven't you figured it out already? **This is a revenge story.**_ **"**

* * *

Tadashi and Baymax took the cable car that leads them to the street where their neighborhood is. Gogo is with them.

"You didn't have to come with me," Tadashi told her as the three walked along the dark, empty street. Baymax is closely following the two behind.

"I'll scram after I see you home," Gogo said, putting his hands in the pocket of her jacket. "Besides, I owe you an apology."

"For what?" 

Gogo looked a little embarrassed. "For saying such things last time I was in your room. It was uncalled for and I was hard."

"Well, I'm sorry too for my attitude," Tadashi said sheepishly, rubbing his neck.

Soon they were standing in front of the Lucky Cat cafe. Tadashi coughed and looked at Gogo, trying to think what else to say. For some reason, he felt awkward to be around her and he found himself avoiding her gaze. Yet, he felt strangely giddy at the same time.

"Well... I'll see you and the rest of the guys tomorrow," he said. "We'll discuss our next plan." 

Gogo nodded slowly, but she was staring at him. She popped another gum and spoke, "It's so weird to see you not wearing your hat anymore. I kinda like it."

"Really?" Tadashi asked quietly. He found himself smiling.

"It makes you look cooler." Then Gogo crackled the tiniest smiles in her deadpan expression. "Or makes me feel better that you're not going bald underneath."

Tadashi chuckled over the joke while Baymax watch closely, noticing a change in Tadashi's neurotransmitters. Despite the near-death experience that happened earlier, the atmosphere seems lighthearted.

Then without another word, Gogo bowed a little. "Goodnight, Tadashi," she mumbled and then left quickly. Tadashi could have sworn he saw a tiny blush on her face. He wanted to call out after her, but he couldn't find his voice. Instead, he watches her go until she disappears into the next corner. He felt a small, empty longing in his chest. 

Baymax approached his creator. "Your heart rate has accelerated," he told him. "And there are an increase levels of dopamine and phenylethylmine, indicating you are experiencing unspoken bliss and infatuation."

Tadashi's face burned in indignation and embarrassment. " _Infatuation?!_ To that radish-legged midget who drives like a maniac? Have you lost your mind?!"

"I cannot lose my mind, I am a robot," Baymax replied.

Tadashi shook his head and opened the door to the cafe, muttering under his breath.

"Ridiculous. I have no time for _infatuation_ , I got a psycho to catch..." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((So Tadashi finally casts away his fears and pride enough to let the others help him. I guess he's on his road to recovery? We shall see!))
> 
> ((There'll be more backstory sequences for the Hamabros later into the story. Just a little warning. XD))
> 
> ((Oh, while this story will focus on the themes of loss, grief, and revenge; there's gonna be some mild romantic moments though they won't overtake the story since Tadashi's still hurting and isn't ready to seek a relationship until his mission is over. Plus, it's kinda fun to write Tadashi being all tsundere.))


	9. Guard Dogs of Fever Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tadashi builds the new gears, and the group tested out their new skills and equipment. Tadashi soon gets a panic attack during a practice.

It took a week for Tadashi to upgrade his friends into becoming superheroes. While he's still worried of the idea of them getting seriously hurt, he feels confident enough in his skills to build better armor suits and weapons to protect them.

The day after he started the new team, he went over to Hiro's files on the computer for ideas and decided to borrow the scrapped designs of the four robots that piqued his interest. He even got his friends to gather up their projects they made at SFIT and bring them to the garage. Tadashi looked from the robot designs to Gogo's bike, Wasabi's laser, Honey's chemical concoctions, and Fred's Kaiju costume. Already, his head is filled with bright ideas. 

"Yep, we can work with these," he said as he began designing the costumes by hand on pieces of paper.

"Tadashi, do you think this is going to work?" Honey asked as she began cleaning up her chemical messes.

"It will," he replied as he began constructing up the Kabuki mask which the masked man wore to control the microbots. "With six of us, we can have an easier time catching this guy."

"He still has those microbots to stop us," Wasabi pointed out. "Do you have a plan about how we deal with that?"

Tadashi spun around and showed everyone the neural transmitter located inside the Kabuki mask. “Simple. We get mask, he can’t control the bots. He’ll be helpless.”

“It sounds easy, but we can’t expect him to go down that easy,” Gogo said.

“And he can’t know we’re after his mask, he will try to stop us before we can try to do that.” Tadashi bit his lower lip and looked over the screen. “Look, if you guys still want to back down from this, I won’t stop you--”

“No way, we’re all in this together like amigos!” Fred stopped him.

Tadashi smiled at the group and began going straight to work. He turned on six screens in order to modify and design all the new gear. The 3-D printer was working overtime printing out armor for everyone. The college group worked with Tadashi to give him some help improving and redesigning their tech. Baymax watched over his creator day and night, and sometimes interacted with Aunt Cass to make sure she doesn’t come into the garage to see her nephew working. Tadashi even fixed Baymax’s hyperspectral cameras so the robot can scan better now.

Speaking of Baymax, Tadashi soon found out that coming up for a new gear for the caregiver robot became difficult. While he could replicated Baymax’s first armor, he realized that Baymax is still too slow and would not be able to keep up the others no matter how tough or strong he is. And he lacked no weapons.

One night, Tadashi was already losing his mind since he found nothing Hiro’s files or toy robot collections that would give him ideas.

“Baymax, I think you should sit this one out,” Tadashi told him as he slumped defeated in front of his computer. “All five of us will take care of the guy.”

“Tadashi, my programming does not allow me to leave my patient unattended,” Baymax insisted. “I have already decided to help you to apprehend the masked man, and aid you in your healing process.”

“I know, but…” Tadashi groaned in frustration. “But I got nothing! I don’t want to see you end up as a sitting duck.”

Baymax tilted his head in confusion. “I was under the assumption that ducks can swim and fly. While I do float in water, I cannot perform the latter.”

His last words sparked something inside Tadashi’s head. He quickly grabbed a pencil and paper, and began drawing Baymax with a new look. After a few minutes. He managed to make what looks like a flying robot with wings and rocket thrusters. It came out perfect; Tadashi not only could use Baymax to fly around San Fransokyo, they can catch criminals easily. Without taking a break, he ran down the garage and began to make the armor.

He almost had trouble fitting Baymax into the suit. Luckily, he ordered the robot deflate himself, get put inside the armor pieces, then re-inflate until the suit won't let him go any further. 

* * *

When the suits and gear are ready, everyone took their tech out to Fred’s estate, where they could refine their new skills within the walls of the private garden. Tadashi watch his friends practice their new weapons and try to steal a substitute Kabuki from Heathcliff, Fred’s butler, who silently plays along with the others without a complaint. Everyone had suited up and they look like a group of sentai superheros.

Tadashi and Baymax both wore matching red and black armor, and black helmets with red linings that amplified their stature and strength. Tadashi’s gauntlets are filled with cable wire and his gloves became lightweight electroshock weapons that delivers a powerful electrical shock capable of rendering any individual unconscious. Tadashi called his new gloves his “extreme” version of Baymax’s defibrillators.

“Now _this_ will give anyone a heart attack,” Tadashi chuckled as he watch electrical discharged sparked briefly in his glove.

Honey’s outfit consists of a yellow dress with white linings, dark sleeves and leggings, and pink platform heels and armor. She even forgoes her glasses and instead wore a yellow helmet with pink highlights over her head. Slung over her chest is her chem purse and she was so thrilled with it.

“Tadashi, this is perfect~! I love it~!” She exclaimed. She then kissed both Tadashi’s cheeks in happiness, and the inventor slightly blushed.

“Getting paid in smooches, Mr. Hamada?” Gogo smirked, while she watched Honey began testing out with her chem-ball which popped out of her purse.

Gogo is wearing a black-and-white suit of armor with white maglev discs on her wrists and boots, a matching helmet, and red linings over her suit and helmet.

Tadashi rubbed his face, laughing sarcastically. “Nobody’s asking you to kiss me.” Then he fell into an awkward pause at this sentence.

Gogo shrugged and popped her bubblegum. “Gotta say, I like what you did with my bike wheels.”

She tried to find her balance while slowly moving on the maglev discs fitted to her feet. She started to lean forward too far and started to fall. Tadashi managed to grab her in time and her face landed on his chest, and her arms over his shoulders. The two had their eyes locked to each other in a deep stare.

“Ahem,” Fred cleared his throat and got both their attention. He was standing nearby, sipping from a soda cup and there was a devilish grin on his face. “Are you getting paid in _that_ too?”

“Shaddup, Fred!” Tadashi yelled.

Gogo ignored the school mascot and skated around the hedges, going faster without stopping or losing her balance.

Fred’s armor looks more of a costume of a blue traditional Japanese Kaiju monster based on his favorite Kaiju, Krogar. The suit mostly consists of the colors blue and orange, in addition to having black, spiky, claw-like nails, a tail with similar features, and three eyes Its four-fanged "mouth" is the only opening the suit has and that’s where Fred shoots out his flames

Wasabi came back after his practice and joined up with his friends. He donned on a dark green armor, pants and samurai-like helmet with turquoise linings. He awore Japanese cropped pants, with particular patterns layered over it. His turquoise gauntlets was equipped with high-powered laser blades, and he was terrified using them at first but he soon got comfortable with them.

“Did you guys saw what I did with that marble pillar?” Wasabi asked, smiling. “I sliced it in two!”

“What happened to that shimmering cape that came with your suit?” Tadashi asked.

“It keeps distracting me,” Wasabi replied, shrugging sheepishly. "And I looked rather silly wearing it."

“Just wear it next time, alright?” Tadashi sighed and rubbed his temple. "It's non-conductive, so it'll protect you from heat and electricity."

“Speaking of heat,” Fred piped up and tossed away his soda cup after finishing it. “Now it’s my turn to check out MY moves!”

Fred stepped forward and began bouncing higher until he jumped so high in the sky, and everyone had to stretch their necks back to see him. Fred then started jetting out a huge blast fire around him. Gogo, Honey, and Wasabi oohed in unison as they watch Fred shooting flames down on the ground to form a ring around Heathcliff who seemed to barely notice.

However, Tadashi began staring at the flames with a blank expression and his eyes went wide. He began to sweat and shake all over; breathing very rapidly, he felt as though his heart is jumping around in his chest. Nausea came over him, he felt like he was being smothered… Then in a flash of white, he saw the scene of the fire of the showcase, and the explosion happens.

Baymax was quickly alerted and saw his creator falling on his knees, doubling over and having trouble breathing.

“Tadashi is experiencing a panic attack,” Baymax said urgently.

The others stopped their training and gasped in fear when they saw their friend on the ground. They hurried over to him and Heathcliff took this moment to extinguish the flames.

“Tadashi, are you okay?!” Honey asked, now deeply worried.

“We got to call 911!” Wasabi cried. “Does anyone have a paper bag?!”

“What happened to him?” Gogo wondered out loud. “He was fine earlier…”

Fred realized what exactly happened to Tadashi and he removed the top head of his suit.

“Oh, gosh! I forgot!” he moaned in panic. “The fire… I didn’t mean… Tadashi, I’m sorry!”

Tadashi couldn’t seem to hear them but he felt Baymax’s reassuring soft touch on his shoulder.

“Tadashi,” Baymax began in a soft tone. His robot is trying to help him. “Relax and slow down your breathing. I recommend placing your hands on your stomach to feel the rapidity of your breathing.”

Tadashi did what he’s told and in half an hour, his breathing became normal again and his body fully relaxed. He glanced up and saw his friends haven’t left his side by the looks of their relieved expressions.

“You really scared us,” Wasabi told him.

“I didn’t know my fire-breathing power with give you a panic attack, Tadashi!” Fred apologized. “Had I known, I wouldn’t have asked you to include it. I would be satisfied with my super-jump and claws…!”

“I’m okay, n-no need to be sorry,” Tadashi said weakly as he gets up with Baymax’s support. “Besides, it’s m-mostly my fault, since I didn’t realize the effect it would have on me.”

Feeling lightheaded, he clutched his head. Gogo took this a moment to stop for the day.

“We did a lot of training, we’ll continue the rest tomorrow,” she said to the others.

Tadashi protested, “I’m okay, really! I’m not hurt…”

“Tadashi, you need a break. You’ve been working all week on this stuff,” she said in a firm tone. “And you’re in no position to practice right now.”

“I agree with her,” Baymax said.

Tadashi was irritated that he didn’t get to show off more of his new skills, as well as Baymax’s new upgrades, but he listened to them. He gave everyone a huge smile.

“You guys did great on our first day of training,” he said. “You know, we should give a name to our team that inspires us and unite us.”

“Ooh, what about the Incredi-Rangers?” Fred suggested. “Or the Super Nerd Squad? … Mystery Dudes?”

Wasabi face-palmed at all these suggestions while Honey looked a little embarrassed.

“Sorry, Freddie, but they’re kind of… cheesy,” she said.

“Fantastic Cheesy Chums doesn’t sound bad,” Fred grinned, without listening to her completely.

“Please stop,” Wasabi warned him.

Tadashi thought for a while and he remembered his superhero alias and how there are six members in this team.

“How about… Big Hero 6?” he suggested. Everyone stared at him. Gogo smirked and nodded.

“I like it,” she said. The rest nodded in agreement.

And thus, Big Hero 6 is born.

* * *

 Soon everyone removed their equipment and suits, and left them in Fred’s room so they wouldn’t be discovered by the rest of the group’s families for their own safety. Though Tadashi insisted he brings his suit home so he can make some adjustments to it. Then everyone went home for the day.

Tadashi didn’t collapse on his bed straightaway; he began to make six special GPS trackers using the single microbot’s schematic so he can add them to the supersuits. He had done this on all of Hiro’s hoodies so he can keep tabs on him if he tries to sneak out to go botfighting. It feels strangely nostalgic doing this again for different reasons.

Baymax was in his charging station, keeping a close eye on him. “Are you sure you are alright?”

“I am, Baymax,” Tadashi answered without looking at him.

He then placed one of the trackers inside his helmet to see if it worked. He turned it on and faint radar appeared on his eyeshield. So far, nothing is shown. Maybe it’ll work if he went to a different part of the city?

“Where are you going, Tadashi?” Baymax inquired when he saw his creator putting on his blazer and carrying his helmet under his arm.

“I’m going to test out the microbot tracker to find the masked man,” Tadashi replied. “And maybe do a little patrolling around the city in my moped.”

“You had a long day today, you experienced your first panic attack,” Baymax stated as he stepped out of his red suitcase. He walked over to Tadashi. “I suggest a good night’s rest to rejuvenate your body and mind.”

“I can’t rest now!” Tadashi snapped angrily. “Besides, what happened to me earlier was nothing. It won’t happen to me again!”

He didn't want to admit to his robot, but this isn't the first time he's been seeing flashes of that traumatic memory. It happened before when he and the others were being chased by the masked man, and it nearly got Tadashi into jumping out of a moving car like a reckless idiot.

“Tadashi, I want to help you with your trigger, otherwise it would cause problems not only for you, but for the rest of the team. Especially if you’re planning to confront the masked man.”

Tadashi felt cold all over when he realized that possibility; he can’t afford to break down and hyperventilate while Big Hero 6 fights the Kabuki-masked man. He needs to get this particular trigger treated.

“Well, what do I do?” he asked.

“I downloaded information about psychotherapy treatments, and I think we should try exposure therapy.” Baymax began to explain, “It is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy that involves having the person re-live the traumatic experience, or exposing the person to objects or situations that cause anxiety.”

Tadashi’s eyes widen. “Wait… That would mean I would have to go to the ruined showcase!”

“Exposure therapy helps the person confront the fear and gradually become more comfortable with situations that are frightening and cause anxiety,” the nursebot continued. “This has been very successful at treating PTSD.”

“Baymax, I don’t think… I can’t go back there! Hiro died in that place!” Tadashi cried.

“Unless you confront your fears, it would be harder to cope with your loss and grief.”

Tadashi stared at him and his hands hold the helmet tight. As much he doesn’t want to go back to the showcase building, even though most of it is probably burned down, he had to take control of his fears as soon as possible.

* * *

 Soon the two arrived and came to a stop in front of the ruined, blackened building. Tadashi drove on his moped while Baymax rode in his red suitcase. He robot rose out his box and followed his creator closely behind as they carefully entered the building.

Tadashi’s footsteps were muffled as they stepped over the ashes and dust that covered the entire floor of the lobby. The room is dark, the air is stifling; empty and devoid of life. Scent of smoke no lingers on the walls and ceilings, though the student could still remembered how the room smell and how hard it was to breathe through the thick clouds of smoke.

His body already started shaking but he kept his cool as best as he can. He turned to Baymax. “What do I do now?” he asked.

“I suggest meditating to clear your mind,” the robot answered.

Tadashi sat on the floor, cross-legged and inhaled slowly before closing his eyes. He began seeing flashes of bright orange flames dancing and roaring in the corner, eating everything in its path… The burning air is suffocating him…

He began to feel dizzy, breathing rapidly and heart racing in fear.

“Oh god, everything is burning hot here…” he whimpered as sweat began to form in his skin. “There’s no exit and the flames are rising…”

“Tadashi, take deep breaths slowly,” Baymax suggested. “Stay calm and focused on my voice…”

 _“I can’t…! I have to get out of here!”_ Tadashi cried.

“Don’t focus on what could have happened. Let it ride out. Accept that it happened.”

The explosion flashed before his eyes and Tadashi crashed backwards on the floor. Baymax hurried over to his side and gently lifted him up.

“I fear that we went too fast in this treatment,” Baymax said. “I regret bringing you here and causing you pain.”

“No, you were helpful,” Tadashi said softly as he sat up. “Let me try again… I came this far already.”

He quietly concentrating on his breathing and began to meditate. He didn’t know how long he sat in the dark, ruined lobby but Baymax kept vigilant watch over him. Tadashi eventually found himself trembling less and feeling his chest and muscles relaxing. A peaceful feeling washed over him and it was like his entire body felt light as a feather.

When he opened his eyes, he looked up to Baymax with a kind smile.

“I think I feel a little better,” he muttered. “I don’t think I’m completely trigger-free but it’s a start. I guess I’ll be doing a little more meditation. … Thanks, Baymax.”

Baymax said nothing but he crouched down to give his creator a comforting hug. Tadashi returned it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Yeah, Tadashi is slowly getting different kinds of treatments to overcome his fears and guilt thanks to the traumatic incident at the showcase. Not much has happened in this chapter, but maybe there'll be in the next one? *sweatdrops*))
> 
> ((Oh, yes! Gogo, Honey, and Wasabi's suits are way different from how Hiro would've designed them. It makes sense that the brothers would have different ideas of what a super suit looks like.))


	10. Burning the Midnight Oil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Big Hero 6 did some practice and patrolling. Tadashi discovers a horrifying truth about his professor.

A couple of days passed, the rest of the Big Hero 6 team had not seen Tadashi and Baymax since the trigger incident though Tadashi contacted them and told them he's doing some "meditation and a minor therapy" with Baymax that would help him get well-adjusted and not freak out around around dangerous situations that remind him of the showcase accident. In the mean time, he tells them to practice more on their gear and promised that he will return to them as soon as possible when he's ready.

One afternoon, Gogo came over to the Lucky Cat cafe and to find Tadashi surfing on the Internet in his room. Tadashi didn't even seem to notice her until he heard Baymax politely greeting her. He spun around in his swivel chair and to see her.

"Gogo, what brings you here?" he asked, confused. "Shouldn't you be in classes right now?"

"I only had three class periods today, I'm free for the rest of the afternoon," she replied coolly. She is carrying a plastic shopping bag full of curry bread and holds it up for him to see. "Your aunt told me you were 'sick' today, so I came by to drop you off some snack to make feel you better." She then puts on her most stoic expression as. "Apparently you seem pretty healthy for someone who was supposed to have the runs, unless your aunt was lying to me."

"Tadashi was in good health the entire day," Baymax explained. "He made me lie to his aunt so he can stay home and do online research."

"And you did a fine job, so why don't you go down and help Aunt Cass in the cafe a bit?" Tadashi said in a sweet voice that seemed rather forced.

Baymax obeyed and left the two alone. Gogo turned to look at Tadashi.

"Um, what's he talking about?" she asked. She noticed some newspaper and blogsites clippings scattered all over one side of Tadashi's bedroom wall. "And what are _those?_ "

Tadashi glances at the clippings and began to explain, "Just some evidence. Apparently, another Krei Tech employee is presumed to be missing or dead since a mysterious explosion happened in his home not so long ago and the police couldn't find any evidence. Even I couldn't find any clues on my last patrol."

"Patrol? What are you talking about?" Gogo demanded, raising an eyebrow.

"I did some patrolling around the city every night in my supersuit. I usually do it alone," Tadashi replied. "Why do you think I didn't want to leave it at Fred's mansion?"

"You mean to tell me you're still looking for random criminals to beat up so you can play superhero? This isn't a game, Tadashi! What if you seriously get hurt, or worse--caught and get your identity revealed?"

"I'm never hurt... that bad," Tadashi shrugged but he gave her a tiny apologetic grin. "Baymax patches me up whenever I come home and the bruises heal sometimes quickly."

"And how long you've been doing this?" Gogo demanded quietly, her voice filled with worry and anger.

"Ever since that night that masked man chased us in Wasabi's car. I did some patrolling while taking breaks to upgrade your weapons and suits. I even went back to the warehouse to find more clues about that mysterious bird symbol but all the stuff there are gone..."

Gogo shook her head and drops shopping bag on Tadashi's bed.

"Really, Tadashi? You're still on that Project Silent Swallow and Akuma Island?" Gogo groaned.

"It's Silent _Sparrow_ ," Tadashi corrected her standing up from his seat. "And besides, I need to know why they're related to the masked man, but I found nothing about Silent Sparrow on the net."

Tadashi then picked up a page of a website he printed out and showed it to her. "The only thing I got on Akuma Island that it's used as a government testing facility after World War II where it helped created San Fransokyo using state-of-the-art technology and other scientific researches. And get this, one of the scientist who helped started it is Ito Ishioka. The Robotics Lab at SFIT was named after him."

"This sounds like an interesting coincidence, but I don't see what that information got anything to do with the masked man," Gogo said. She skimmed through the entire paper. "It says here the island has been abandoned for a couple of years and it's off-limits to the public."

"It didn't say why it was abandoned, but I still wanted to know why the masked man is so interested in it," said Tadashi. He crossed his arms and furrowed his eyebrows in deep thought. "I think Silent Sparrow might be some secret project that was tested on that island. It sounds strange but it sounds plausible."

"I don't know, your pajama pants are strange. Didn't know you have a preference for green plaid," Gogo commented, glancing down with an amused smirk.

Tadashi gasped when he realized he's still wearing his bed clothes, especially in Gogo's presence.

"Sorry, this is going to take a sec!" he told her shyly as he pull the divider that closes his side of the room.

While Gogo waits for her friend to change, she strolls slowly around the room and looking wistfully at Hiro's side of the room. Even though the two didn't talk so much before the showcase incident, she was actually fond of the kid even though he cracked jokes of joining a "nerd lab". She stood in front of Hiro's bed and stared at the dark blue hoodie lay before her.

 _Hiro,_ she thought sadly, hoping the younger Hamada brother is listening to her. _Sometimes I wish you were still around. Not only because I missed hanging out with you, but because you don't understand how much your brother misses you every day. Tadashi used to smile so much, always full of ideals and ready to help out people no matter what the cost is to him._

She paused and her face is now full of worry. _If you're hearing this, I have one favor to ask you... Make him stop whatever he's doing before he burns out or does something he might regret. He's a sweet guy, I just don't want to see him sad anymore._

Gogo heard the divider opening behind her and she turned around to see Tadashi wearing his white ninja shirt and dark pants. His cheeks were noticeably red.

"Sorry, that took a while," he apologized. He scratched his head shyly before offering a single curry bread to Gogo. "Um, do you want to share. I mean, you brought a lot of these and I don't think I can finish them all..."

Why is Gogo making him act so weird; he wasn't like this when he first met her. Maybe Baymax is on to something about him developing an infatuation towards her. After all, she's smart, modeled and build her own bike, and even save the group from the masked man without losing her cool. In a way, there are a lot of things Tadashi admire her for, but he's still unsure whether if it's alright to see her something else other than a friend.

Gogo swiped the curry bread from his hand and began to head out. "Actually, I need to leave. I gotta finish some homework before we meet up at Fred's home for more training." She stopped and gave him a thumbs up. "Take care of yourself, Tadashi."

Tadashi returned the gesture and watch her go, feeling that certain longing in his chest again. A part of him wondered if he should have said something to make her stay.

* * *

Hours later, the group are back in Fred's estate and they continued practicing their skills without further incidents since Tadashi's trigger. Heathcliff managed to bring in some makeshift dummies for the team to destroy and obstacles to maneuver around; a single dummy is even provided to practice stealing the Kabuki mask. While the team are getting better stealing the substitute mask, Tadashi felt secretly irritated that they're wasting so much time here in this estate while the masked man keeps getting away from him. But he wanted to become stronger so the next time Tadashi crosses paths with the masked man, there won't be any failure.

He wrapped a dark-blue scarf around his neck, adding the final touch to his supersuit. It seemed a bit unnecessary to have a scarf but the color reminds of him of Hiro's hoodie and Tadashi felt wearing the scarf will make him feel Hiro is closer.

"Great job, everybody!" Tadashi exclaimed as everyone finished today's training. They all sat, relaxing, on the chairs outside while Heathcliff served them drinks. "I think we're all ready to catch the masked man. We're just missing one thing: I need to install the microbot trackers into your headgears so we can all pinpoint the location of the masked man whenever he uses the microbots."

Everyone gave Tadashi their helmets (or in Fred's case, his Krogar head); Tadashi uses some light tools he's carrying with him and began implanting each microchip into them before returning the headgear to his friends.

"Okay, one last thing," the inventor tells them. He's wearing an eager expression like he cracked the answer to a Sudoku puzzle. "Baymax is going to scan us."

"Um, why? None of us are sick," Wasabi said, confused and nervous. "Though I'm not sure in Fred's case..."

"No no no," Tadashi shook his head. "I've made a better scanning system within Baymax's helmet. This would help him scan people from far away distances and this would give him the ability to track anyone using only their medical information. Plus, if one of us gets lost or kidnapped, he can use it to locate one of us."

"Oh, that means that you'll be able to use it to find the masked man then!" Honey said in realization.

Tadashi nodded. "However, we still need to find the guy so Baymax would scan him. And that's where we come in."

"It seems to improve our chances locating the masked man with the microbot trackers, we would all have to split up and patrol around San Fransokyo,"  Baymax finished for him while he's standing nearby.

"Whoa, wait a minute!" Wasabi stood up, holding up his hands. "You want us to venture around the city, alone? What if one of us gets mugged or worse?!"

"Oh yeah, we're totally helpless with our carbon-fiber suits and super-tech weapons," Gogo said sarcastically. She looked straight at Baymax. "Okay, big guy. Start scanning us."

Baymax walked in front of them and scanned all four of them.

Gogo then turned to Tadashi. "It seems like a good idea, but I have one question: Are you really going to let Baymax to wander around the city by himself? The last time I checked, he's pretty slow on his feet... especially with the new armor you've given him."

"I haven't shown you Baymax's new upgrade yet, huhh?" Tadashi grinned wider as he walked over to his robot to give him an order. "Baymax, show them what you got."

Baymax stared at him, as though he didn't understand him.

"The thing!"

Baymax lifted up his hand, moving his fingers. "Bata-latala..."

"No, not that! The other thing!" Tadashi said. He cleared his throat. "Baymax, wings."

At this moment, Baymax's carbon-fiber wings were deployed. Tadashi's friends oohed.

Tadashi then climbed onto Baymax's back. He locked on to the huge, armored robot by using the magnetic pads on the bottom of shoes and pushing his hands inside compartments inside Baymax's armor shoulders.

"Thrusters," Tadashi directed. Then Baymax began to rising into the air.

"I fail to see how flying makes me a better health-care companion," Baymax commented.

"I fail to see how you fail to see that this is awesome," Tadashi replied back with an excited smile. "Full thrust!"

Baymax took off like a rocket, shooting straight up to the sky while everyone else watched with their jaws dropped.

 _"Too much thrust! Too much thrust!"_ they heard Tadashi screaming.

Fred started to snicker, "He said--"

"Fred, I swear I will laser-hand you in the face if you finish that!" Wasabi silenced him.

Tadashi, in his fear, immediately lost his grip and fell off from Baymax's back and the ground is so far away. Honey screamed from below.

"Tadashi's falling!" she shrieked in horror.

Wasabi, Fred and Gogo hurriedly readied themselves to catch him but Baymax was already alerted. The caregiver bot swooped down, catch his creator in his arms.

"You have fallen," Baymax told him.

"Gee, you think?" Tadashi asked, smiling at the obvious. But he was grateful that Baymax managed to save him.

Tadashi hurried climbed on to Baymax's back and rocketed Baymax back into the sky much to the relief of the others. Baymax flew like a pro as he zipped over the city, weaving through buildings and wind turbines gracefully. They flew past a high-rise that reflected their own image back at them.

A serene melancholy fell over Tadashi as he stared at his reflection. For one quick moment, he saw Hiro riding behind him with his arms wrapped tight around his big brother's waist. It made him remember that upgrading Baymax into a flying robot isn't the first aerial invention he created...

* * *

_**Seven Years Ago.** _

"You ready?" Twelve-year-old Tadashi asked his little brother Hiro.

The Hamada brothers have managed to make a homemade hovercraft using some parts they scavenged from the junkyard. With the two of them working together, they managed to build the flying object and they're ready to make their first flight test inside their garage.

Seven-year-old Hiro cling tight to his brother's back. "I wanna be the pilot!"

"Nah, you're not big yet," Tadashi told him before slapping a helmet on top of their heads. Then he flipped on a switch.

The hovercraft rose and flew out of the garage, and glided down the steep road much to the thrill of the young brothers. They narrowly avoided an oncoming cable car but they weren't frightened at all.

"This is amazing!" Hiro laughed with joy, raising his hands into the air. Tadashi laughed with him.

* * *

_**Current Day.** _

Tadashi was so happy at this memory that he felt his chest tightening and tears began to form in his eyes. Baymax carefully landed on top of a tall bridge.

He turned to Tadashi and blinked. "Your neurotransmitter levels are rising. This indicates you are very happy."

Tadashi nodded, "I am. I really am!"

"Yet, you are crying even at the absence of emotional distress."

"This is a different kind of crying," Tadashi replied as he dried his eyes. "We should head back to the others, we'll be heading out to patrol when night comes."

Baymax did not fly yet. "Tadashi, you are a good boy."

Tadashi frowned, surprised by this comment.

"When you first started making me, you never gave up trying to get me to work," Baymax continued. "You said that people need me even if I don't understand it back then."

Tadashi though back all those difficult tests that made him pull his hair and lose his sleep. And seeing Baymax working him on his eighty-fourth test brought him so much joy that he couldn't wait to get Hiro to meet his robot.

"Of course, I wanted you to help a lot of people," Tadashi said softly.

"That's why I'm not going to give up on you as well," Baymax said before flying back to Fred's mansion.

Tadashi remained quiet the entire time while different conflicting thoughts are running through his mind.

* * *

It was quiet in the late hours of evening. With the streets nearly empty and quiet, Big Hero 6 began patrolling around the city in hunt for the masked man. The team decided to split separately into three separate groups to cover more ground; Wasabi and Gogo for one group, Honey and Fred for the second group, and then Tadashi and Baymax for the third group.

Tadashi and Baymax stood on top of a building overlooking the industrial downtown of San Fransokyo. He turned on his communicator.

"Did you guys find anything?" he called.

"Not yet, though Wasabi's kept refusing to leap over rooftops," Gogo answered.

She and Wasabi are located in the Marina, an area where many Eastern shops sell everything from exotic teas to fresh fish and imported vegetables.

"I'm afraid of heights and you know it!" Wasabi shouted.

"Also, Wasabi and I managed to take out this group of punks who are harassing this old lady running a shop," Gogo continued, ignoring Wasabi. 

"For some reason, she dresses inappropriately for an 80-year-old," Wasabi added, disgust in his tone.

 _"Mrs. Matsuda,"_ Tadashi whispered in horror, remembering how Aunt Cass keeps mentioning a certain customer who often visits the Lucky Cafe.

Fred excitedly scream into his ear. "Honey and I just defeated a couple of bank robbers over here at Union Square! Honey uses her chem-balls to cover their getaway car in chemical goo while I fought them valiantly! I think one of them pissed their pants."

"That's because your costume scared them, Freddie," Honey told him.

"Have anyone of you seen the masked man, yet?" Tadashi demanded impatiently. 

"No, everything's cool here," Wasabi replied. Everyone else made sounds of agreement. "Look, Tadashi, you got to fix that anger of yours..."

Tadashi shuts off the communicator. He then turns to Baymax. "Okay, buddy. Let's do another flying around the area..."

Suddenly, his visor began to blink. The microbot tracker worked--the masked man is nearby! Baymax pointed a finger towards a lone house sitting on high hill surrounded by trees further away from the city.

"It appears the sensor is telling us the masked man is hiding there," the robot said.

Tadashi went quiet and his expression turned cold. He immediately climbed onto Baymax's back. "Let's head there!"

"Shouldn't we call for the others to join us first?" Baymax asked.

"We will, but first I need to check that place out."

* * *

Baymax landed a good distance away from the house which appears to be a 2-story modern contemporary house. The house seemed dark except for light coming from the second story. The microbot tracker had stopped blinking but Tadashi knew the masked man is located inside. He tells Baymax to remain in his spot and hidden while Tadashi crept towards the house. The inventor peeked inside through a closed glass window and saw the house is dark inside and noticed the furniture and other personal belongings seemed to be covered in light dust. Tadashi saw someone moving in the shadows and going through a door that appears to be leading to the basement.

Tadashi looked around to find an entrance when he noticed an open window in the second story. He used his cable wire to pull himself upwards and climbed through the window. He found himself what looked liked to be a huge office; the walls are filled with all kinds of books about science and technology. Sitting on a mahogany desk is a laptop with a picture frame next to it.

Tadashi picked up the picture and recognized the man in the photo.

"Professor Callaghan?" he said in shock.

His professor looked a little younger. Standing next to him is a young woman he didn't recognize. He didn't even know her name until he saw a name written in the bottom of the picture.

"Abigail... So this is Callaghan's daughter?" 

 _That means this is Callaghan's home,_ Tadashi thought. _Why would the masked man come here?_

Tadashi noticed there was a USB linked to the laptop. Tadashi opened the laptop and paused video screen appeared. He saw an image of Alistair Krei. Now even more curious and confused, Tadashi turned on the communicator.

"Guys..." he quietly called out to them.

"Tadashi, where are you and Baymax!" Gogo shouted angrily. "You cut us off! Now we're tying to look for you!"

"The both of us are fine," Tadashi replied, trying to keep his voice low. "I'm at Callaghan's home."

"Hey, why are you at some dead guy's house?" Fred asked, bewildered.

"Tadashi, what's going on?" Honey asked worriedly.

"Shush, I'm letting you guys know I found something. I'll call you back soon."

Tadashi turned off the communicator. He then pressed play on the video. It showed Alistair Krei walking in a lab that seemed sleek and new. A small audience that included military officials was listening as Krei said, "We were asked to do the impossible. And that's what we did. We've reinvented the very concept of transportation. Friends, I present Project Silent Sparrow."

Krei gave his audience a broad smile to two large circular structures that vaguely resembled portals of some sort. Tadashi recognized the bird symbol on them. He listened to Krei talking about how teleportation is the transport of matter instantaneously through space, and not science fiction anymore. He watched Krei leading the audience up to the control room and Tadashi recognized the engineers and technicians there being the missing Krei Tech employees.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you're here to witness history." Krei spoke into a microphone. "Ready to go for a ride, Abigail?" he asked.

Another video showed Callaghan's daughter climbing into a flight pod set up to enter one of the portals.

"We've invited all these people; might as well give them a show," she said.

Tadashi continued watching, his eyes glued to the screen. An expert told Krei there was a slight irregularity in the field harmonics but Krei continued to pushed forward. Soon the pod shot into the first portal, but at that moment it entered, alarms screamed.

"We've lost all contact with the pilot!" a technician yelled.

Krei began to panic, his eyes filled with fear. He tried to press some buttons to gain control but the second portal exploded. A spinning vortex was forming at the center of the first portal and items began flying into it. The place was going to implode. Krei was forced to hit the kill switch and first portal shut down. But the pilot has now disappeared inside the portal and no way of exiting.

Tadashi to find his words but he stared numbly at the screen. "I don't understand... Why would Callaghan have a video of this...?"

To his shock, he saw Professor Callaghan running into the control room. He looked furious and ready to strangle Krei but he was held back by the engineers and the military officials.

 _ **"Krei, you knew it wasn't ready!"**_ Callaghan shouted. His voice was full of anguish and venom.  ** _"I want my daughter back!"_**

Then the video ended and a cold chill ran down Tadashi's spine. Wanting to confirm something, he checked the drawers of the desk looking for something and found it at the bottom drawer.

A Kabuki mask.

The exact same one the masked man wears.

Now Tadashi understood why Callaghan seems to hate Krei and why the fire started in the showcase.

"Callaghan's faked his death and he's using my brother's microbots to get back at Krei," he muttered. "I can't believe this, but..."

His professor, the man he looked up to and tried to save from the fire is actually a ruthless criminal.

Tadashi immediately stood up, he has to tell the others.

Suddenly, someone appeared behind him and struck Tadashi in the back of the head with a blunt object. The inventor fell to the floor and lost consciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Yes, so Tadashi found out it was Callaghan who was responsible for the fire and stole Hiro's invention, but looks he's been caught. What would happen next? owo))


	11. Father Rejoice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The BH6 team fight the masked man to save Tadashi, and finally revealed the criminal's identity.

_"Tadashi?" Aunt Cass called out to her nephew as she peeked into the room._

_Tadashi was lying in his bed on his stomach. It had been a few days since he stopped attending SFIT and he couldn't sleep last night. His face was heavy and his eyes still stinging from tears that had long dried up. He didn't seem to hear his aunt since he kept staring at the memorial photo of Hiro sitting next to his face._

_In Aunt Cass' hands was a red, portable suitcase (unknown to her, contains the inflatable robot Baymax) and it was given to her by one of Tadashi's friends._

_"Your classmate Wasabi dropped by and asked me to give this to you," she said kindly as she set down the red suitcase near her depressed nephew's bed. "I don't know what this is, but he said you might need it."_

_She stared sadly at Tadashi, expecting him to say something. She was about to leave when he finally spoke._

_"Aunt Cass, can I ask you something?" Tadashi asked. He sounds so tired and weak._

_"Sure, sweetie. Anything."_

_"When mom and dad died in that car accident, you were sad, right?" Tadashi paused and then swallowed. He could taste a hint of bitterness in his mouth. "Let's say if you know someone who was responsible for their deaths, would you want that person gone for good?"_

_Aunt Cass became quiet and looked down at her hands. "To be honest, Tadashi... I would do anything to get my sibling back," she said hesitantly. "But wishing harm on someone, what good would that do? Holding on to that kind of anger... It's like grasping a hot coal and you want to throw it at someone else. However, you are the one who gets burned."_

_"I just missed Hiro, Aunt Cass," Tadashi said in a hollow voice._

* * *

_Tadashi stared at Fred incredulously as he worked on upgrading a suit for the school mascot._

_"Yokai?" he asked._

_"Yeah, that's what we're going to name him!" Fred replied as he sat on the desk next to Tadashi's computer. "Every supervillain needs a nickname, and we can't keep calling him the masked man, forever."_

_Tadashi knew the name 'Yokai' seems to fit their masked man; someone who appears and disappears like a phantom, especially there's an air of mystery surrounding him. Yet, the inventor feels put off by the nickname._

_"I don't know, Fred. Giving a criminal a nickname would make him seem like... human," Tadashi said with a shrug. **And as far as I'm concerned, what he had done doesn't make him human at all.**_

_Fred pursed his lips, pouting. "Well, if we're gonna be superheroes, we might as well make our origin story become authentic. We got the tragic backstory, a goal to protect people and stop crime in the justice, and super-secret identities!"_

_**I don't exactly enjoy having a tragic backstory in our origin story** , Tadashi thought bitterly as he continued working._

* * *

The masked man used the microbots to carry the unconscious Tadashi. He even removed the young man's helmet and left it behind. Moving quickly, he left the house with the intent of moving on to his next destination, bringing the intruder along. He heard something approaching quickly and he looked to see a giant, red-armored robot flying towards him fast.

Baymax was concerned when he sense Tadashi had been knocked and he realized he was ambushed by the masked man. This time, he got ready to scan the criminal while he prepared to grab his creator.

The masked man realized what the flying robot was going to do and he summoned a wave of microbot towards him. Baymax was struck and he fell the ground. Before he can get up, the microbots wrap themselves around his body and raised him high in the air. Then Baymax was slammed down hard on Callaghan's home, crashing through the roof and into the ground floor. Baymax lay there, unmoving though not broken. The masked man realized he just destroyed the house but he didn't care. He had more important business to attend.

He left the robot behind while carrying Tadashi in the tight grasp of the microbots.

* * *

Meanwhile, the rest of Big Hero 6 had meet up with each other in a deserted alley after making patrol rounds. So far, they have not located the masked man's whereabouts nor heard a word from their leader. Gogo couldn't get an answer from either Tadashi or Baymax in her communicator and she's beginning to worry.

"Something has happened to them, we need to find them," she told the others.

Honey gasped when she saw her visor blinking. "Tadashi's microbot tracker! The masked man is on the move!"

"He seems to be heading towards the pier, probably returning to the warehouse where we last saw him," Fred said. He's all pumped up to catch a supervillain. "We're coming for you, Yokai!"

"Wait, we can't go after that guy without Tadashi and Baymax!" Wasabi shouted in panic.

"You three go after the masked man," Gogo said. "I'm going to find the others."

"You know where Callaghan's home is?" Honey asked.

Gogo nodded. "I'm a bike messenger, I would know where to go."

Wasabi placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and gave her a worried look.

"You be careful, okay?" he said. "If anything happens to you to, I..."

"Don't worry about me," Gogo reassured him, chewing her gum. "Worry about how to get the Kabuki mask from that lunatic."

"That's not helping," Wasabi gulped in fear.

However, he, Honey, and Fred ran off in one direction to follow the masked man while Gogo sped off towards Professor Callaghan's home. She hoped she could find Baymax and Tadashi safe and alive.

* * *

Tadashi stirred awake. His head felt like it was ready to split open and his vision was blurred. He tried to move but he realized his hands were tied. In fact, he discovered he was tied down with thick ropes while sitting on a chair. His pain gradually began to fade and his sight clearing up. He found himself inside a dark room where the walls are full of the papers he remembered seeing in his first visit of the warehouse. He tried to see where he was but the only window in the room is boarded up. Tadashi suddenly realized he was not wearing his helmet; it must have been removed while he was knocked out.

In front of him, he saw the masked man standing over a table. The criminal had his back towards Tadashi and he seems to be fixing the neurotransmitter inside the Kabuki masked.

Tadashi remembered the video he watched earlier before he was knocked out and his blood boiled.

"Professor Callaghan," he growled.

His words caught the masked man who immediately put on the Kabuki mask back on his face before turning to look at Tadashi.

"You... you killed my brother!" Tadashi screamed. He struggled violently to free himself from the ropes. Right now he felt like punching the masked man until there was nothing like. All he could see is red and fire. _"He looked up to you, he invented the microbots to impress you! And you steal them from him!"_

The masked man said nothing but continue to stare at Tadashi coldly.

"I thought you were a good man, a great teacher," Tadashi continued. His chest was rising and he was breathing heavily. "But now I realized what kind of scum you are, you selfish monster!"

Then Tadashi was met by a sudden blow from the masked man's hand and he flinched from the sharp pain in his cheek. However, the inventor continue to glare at the masked man.

"When I get out out of these ropes..." Tadashi threatened him.

Then someone else spoke up. "Unfortunately, you won't," a female voice said. Tadashi recognized it; it belonged to the mysterious woman he hear in the warehouse. "In fact, you won't even be alive much longer."

Someone stepped into the other room, coming up from behind Tadashi. Tadashi's eyes widened when he recognized her.

"I know you," he said quietly in surprise. "You were with Alistair Krei at the showcase."

Krei's pixie-haired secretary just narrowed her eyes at him as she fixed her glasses.

"Where am I?" Tadashi demanded.

"You're trapped in the top floor of the old Krei Tech lab which is due to be demolished in two days from now," the secretary said coolly, crossing her arms. "I'm surprised you didn't drown after all when your car fell into the bay. You Hamadas have strange luck for survival..."

Tadashi interrupted her, "Why are you working with Callaghan? He wanted your boss dead!" 

"Is that what you really think?" she asked. She has a strange smirk on her lips. "You just assume things from watching a single video without further understanding the truth. Our plans doesn't involve my boss, despite the careless mistakes he committed in his arrogance in the past."

"What plans?" 

The secretary didn't reply. She went over to a cabinet and pulled out a thick roll of duct tape. Then she slapped a piece over Tadashi's mouth to prevent him from talking.

"If your little brother hadn't listened to Robert and should have sold his tech to Krei, he wouldn't had to pay for his mistakes," she whispered into his ear. Then she pulled back and gave him a blank, disapproved look. "This isn't personal, Mr. Hamada, but I am still miffed that you stopped Mr. Krei from walking with that microbot."

Tadashi just shot her an icy glare but the secretary isn't intimidated.

"Though we do have a couple of questions we have to ask you before we leave you here to die," she said. "The first thing we want to know is about your caregiver robot."

Tadashi was taken aback. _Why would they want to know about Baymax?_

Then the masked man seemed alerted by something and he moved towards the door. The secretary took this cue to leave Tadashi behind in the room.

"Looks like we can't have our answers then. This might be the last time we see each other," she told him. "I don't know if your body will be found or even recognizable after this building is destroyed."

Tadashi's angry screams muffled when she commented Hiro like that. But Krei's secretary ignored him and closed the door behind her.

* * *

Meanwhile, down below the abandoned labs, Wasabi, Honey and Fred cautiously walked around looking for any signs of the masked man. The microbot tracker had led them to a tall, brick building that used to be an old facility for Krei in the past. Fred began humming a tune to lighten up the atmosphere from being scary.

"Fred, this is not the time!" Wasabi said.

Honey hushed him gently as she opened a door which lead them to a huge, empty lab full of cabinets and high-tech desks of computers and keyboards that seemed to be covered in dust. The floors were covered in dust and small debris, as well as scattered papers. There is a huge hole in a wall on the other side of the room. In the middle of the room is a huge ring that seemed fifteen-feet tall and it looked like a portal. It looked old and damaged.

"I wonder what's this?" she asked as she touched the object.

"Guys, am the only one seeing this?" Fred suddenly spoke up. He sounded shock and he was staring at a piece of photo that he picked up.

Honey and Wasabi went over to where he is and looked into the photo as well. They gasped when they saw what's on it. 

"Is that... that's impossible!" Wasabi exclaimed, his eyes went wide.

"This is too surreal. Why was he here?" Fred asked, glancing wildly at his friends.

Honey felt her beating fast. This is all so confusing. "We have to tell Tadashi..."

Suddenly, everyone's microbot trackers began to blink and beeped wildly before they fall into dead silence. They spun around around just in time to see the masked man and the microbots entering the lab through the giant hole in the wall.

"What's the plan now?" Wasabi asked.

Honey takes out chem-ball from her purse. "We get the mask!"

"No, seriously. What's the plan?!"

Fred suddenly stepped forward. "It's Fred Time!" he roared before leaping towards the masked man.

* * *

Meanwhile back on the top floor, Tadashi struggled to pull himself free but the ropes proved to be too strong. He had to get out of here and find Callaghan so he can destroy him. As well as Krei's secretary.

He wanted them both _**dead**_.

While his thoughts filled with hatred and fury, the wall with window broke down much to his surprise. As the dust cleared, Baymax stepped into the room and Gogo jumped off the robot's back.

"Tadashi!" she cried and hurried to his side. She quickly untied her friend.

Tadashi removed the duct tape from his mouth. "Gogo, thank goodness you and Baymax as here," he said, relieved. "How did you guys find me?"

"After I scanned you, we used my sensors to track you down," Baymax replied.

Gogo suddenly smacked his head much to his bigger surprise.

"Ow, what's the big deal?!"

"You cut us off and didn't tell us you were going somewhere else!" Gogo shouted at him while she keeps smacking his head and shoulders. "And when you didn't call back like you promised, you had us worried all sick! I even found Baymax lying on top of a collapsed house!"

"Gogo, I advise you to not hit my patient, please," Baymax stopped her. "He seems to sustained some injuries which I need to attend."

"Never mind about me," Tadashi said. "We have to catch Callaghan, he's the one who's responsible for the fire and Hiro's death!"

Gogo stared at him. "Professor Callaghan? That... Wait, that doesn't make sense..."

"My sensors told me the others are fighting downstairs and they are in trouble," Baymax suddenly stated.

Tadashi and Gogo hurriedly got on Baymax's back.

"Let's move, Baymax!" he shouted.

"Tadashi, there's something you must know about the masked man..."

"You can tell me later. Fly!"

Baymax then flew off to join the others.

* * *

Wasabi, Honey, and Fred--despite their new gear and skills--were losing a disastrous battle since they were still inexperienced. Wasabi had to slice and counter the microbots coming straight at him, but then he was grabbed by his feet and tossed away like a ragdoll. Honey took a chem-ball and was about to throw it at the masked man but Wasabi's body crashed into her. Her chem-ball was shot out of her hand and it hit Fred instead. The chemical concoction exploded into a gooey mess which got him stuck. 

"Looks like we're in a sticky situation here, guys," Fred said.

"Great, we're going to die and the last words I'm gonna hear is a one-liner," Wasabi groaned in pain.

The masked man used the microbots to form a giant hand which then curled into a fist. The microbot-fist moved to strike the three heroes when Baymax suddenly flew in and broke through the fist with his armor.

The masked man was flabbergasted for a moment, but then he regained his composure when he saw Tadashi and Gogo entering.

"Baymax, look after the others!" Tadashi directed an order. "Gogo and I will take care of this!"

The masked man, now infuriated, used the microbots to form a giant snake and made it attack the two heroes. Tadashi and Gogo dodged away in time, and they split up. Gogo used her maglev discs and skated around the room faster, while Tadashi relied on his cable wires to maneuver around. The masked man realized he couldn't chase both of them at the same time so he made his microbots shot out spikes to try and attack them simultaneously. Gogo avoided them the best she cane while she threw the discs in her arms, hoping they will hit the Kabuki mask. She was then struck and she skidded to stop, crashing into the floor.

She tried to get up but she saw a microbot spike coming fast at her, she couldn't escape in time. She heard Wasabi screaming her name.

The masked man did not see Tadashi swinging down behind him. The inventor used his electrified glove and hit the masked man in the back. The latter's body twitched as electrical sparks coursed throughout his body. The microbots twitched in reaction.

Then the masked man was knocked down to the floor, the Kabuki mask flew off. Without the neurotransmitter, the microbots fell lifeless.

On the other side of the room, Honey and Fred were gently lifted up by Baymax.

"Baymax, buddy!" Fred grinned as he gave the robot a huge hug. "I thought we were goners, but you save us!"

"It's over... we won, Freddie!" Honey gasped with relief. Then, feeling rushed and possibly acting on the heat of the moment, she hugged the school mascot and planted a big kiss on his cheek. Fred's face turned bright red and he covered his embarrassed face with his kaiju costume. But Honey and Baymax already noticed he was grinning like an idiot.

Wasabi hurried over to Gogo's side. "Are you alright?" 

Gogo groaned and clutched her side.

"I think so, but I've had worse injuries," she said. Her face softened a little when she saw how worried Wasabi looked. "At least you survived. Can't imagine what would have happened if Tadashi and I came too late..."

She stopped when she remembered their leader. Tadashi, meanwhile, had walked over the body of the rotten criminal, who was sprawling out on the ground. Sitting a few feet away was the Kabuki mask, and Tadashi picked it up. 

"It's over, Callaghan," he said.

The masked man began to move, groaning a little. Then he began to stand up while he still had his back turned. The first thing Tadashi noticed something was off was the height of his enemy. He could have sworn Callaghan was taller...

When the masked man finally turned around, Tadashi felt as though he was smacked in the face. His eyes wide in confusion and his jaw dropped.

"Y-you're not Professor Robert Callaghan," he said in horror.

"No, I am his daughter," Abigail said coldly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Surprised by the plot twist? I've been wanting to do this twist ever since most of the Yokai reveal in fics are either Callaghan or Tadashi, and I wanted to try something new. I've had this plot twist planned from the very beginning when this story was just an AU one-shot. Another fanfic writer (who wrote the amazing fic "Twist of Fate") ALMOST considered using that Yokai!Abigail plot twist and I'm glad they didn't. XD
> 
> Why and how Abigail survived her portal accident and became a villain will be explain in the next chapter.))


	12. Wishes in the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flashback of how and why Abigail became the villain, and what exactly happened to Professor Callaghan.

Tadashi shook his head, his body and emotions had went numb. His friends were nearby watching this and they were shocked as well. They didn't know Callaghan has a daughter and they're confused about why she's a criminal.

"But... Abigail Callaghan died during a portal accident at Project Silent Sparrow!" Tadashi protested. He clearly remembered the video that shows the terrifying incident. Come to think of it, he stopped and wondered... the video didn't show what happened after Callaghan rushed into the control room.

"I didn't die," Abigail said, narrowing her eyes. "I was merely trapped inside the portal dimension for two weeks until I was rescued. But by then, the damage was already done."

She stopped and began to shudder, relieving the horrible flashbacks and memories that occurred after the accident and rescue. Even her hands began to ache; though they were already no longer hurting, reminding her of the wounds she received on that tragic day.

When her entire world was burned to ashes.

* * *

Two weeks after the government officials forced Krei to shut down the Silent Sparrow project and had everyone abandoned the lab, Alistair Krei quietly approached Professor Callaghan and told him that there is a way to rescue his daughter but Krei would need his help, and it had to be done in secret so the government won't get wind of it.

With those two, as well as the five engineers and technicians, they managed to rebuild a third but smaller portal in the biggest laboratory of Krei's old testing facility. Krei had Callaghan to keep contact with Abigail while Krei himself and his experts try to keep the portal stabilized and, using some special controls from the lab, pilot her pod towards the exit.

Callaghan saw the pod shot out from the portal and crashed into a wall of the lab, forming the giant hole. His daughter and only family, Abigail was finally back and safe.

Unfortunately, something terrible had happened to her.

Callaghan tried to restrain and calm Abigail who started screaming and crying in fear as soon he opened her pod. To make matters worse, it appears she was injured and her legs were paralyzed, probably from the explosion that destroyed the second portal (which she tried to go through) back at Akuma Island.

"The pod should have put her in hypersleep in cases of extreme accidents that could potentially harm her," one of the experts told a horrified Krei. "But it appears she had been awake and alert this entire time, while she was lost inside there for two weeks..."

"Krei, this is your fault! You did this to my daughter!" Callaghan screamed at the CEO while he stayed close to Abigail who was about to be carried away to receive medical treatment.

"N-no, it was an accident," Krei tried to tell the professor but Callaghan didn't listen to him. An engineer approached his boss.

"Sir, there's something else coming through the portal... We don't know what it is, but..."

That was the last thing Abigail was heard before she was sedated and drifted away to unconsciousness.

* * *

Months passed. While Callaghan and his daughter are now reunited, the accident of Project Silent Sparrow, however, had left Abigail confined to a wheelchair and in a physically and emotionally weakened state overall. Abigail suffered many sleepless nights, waking up to nightmares of being trapped and conscious inside the portal dimension. This episodes often left her shaking and screaming, to the point she sometimes doesn't remember where she was until she was calmed down. Another problem added to the list is that while her legs was physically injured, they were also paralyzed from the psychological trauma.

Greatly upset over being in such debilitation, Callaghan assured his daughter he will be there for her and Abigail will be given the best help and medical treatment he could find.

"No one expects you to bounce back so soon," he kindly told an emotionally-drained Abigail one day after they had breakfast in the kitchen. "I promise that with intensive physiotherapy training, you will be walking again."

Abigail didn't say anything but frowned. Her father decided to hire a nurse to take care Abigail in the day while he teaches at SFIT, and he looks after her at nights and in the weekends. Before he could leave the house that day, he received a visitor. Abigail was in the other room, and couldn't hear conversation but she noticed her father's voice seemed to be rising and becoming angrier. Then the door slammed loudly and a few minutes later, Callaghan returned and he was wearing a forced smile.

"Sorry, it's some rude guy selling encyclopedias," he explained as he wheeled Abigail out to the veranda in the backyard. "Sorry if my temper made you uncomfortable."

"It's alright," Abigail muttered.

Her father placed in her under a cool shade so she could look at the trees and sky. The fresh air did not seem to lighten up her moods; while she has her dad with her, she couldn't enjoy this morning. Something was missing... 

"Dad, has Alistair come by yet?" she asked her dad quietly. "I haven't heard from him since I was rescued. I thought he would want to see me..."

Callaghan's face darkened and placed a firm hand on her shoulder, much to her mild surprise.

"Abigail, I think you should forget about Krei," he said. There was a hint of anger and hate in his tone. "He let you enter that portal even though he knew there was something wrong. He only saved you so he could save his hide. That's why he didn't bother to come visit you. You... were just a setback to him."

Abigail felt as though she could sink into the ground. She couldn't believe what her father told her, but everything he said seems to make sense... She could feel tears flowing from her face and she couldn't hold back her sobs.

She felt her father pulling into a tight hug, trying to soothe her. Since that day, Abigail found herself slowly hating Krei too; she had put so much trust and respect in him, only to learn she was nothing to him.

He was just an arrogant businessman. To think he was actually something different, because she saw a different side to him one time before...

* * *

A year went by, and Abigail hasn't recovered due to lack of significant progress. While she could finally move her toes, her legs were too weak and she could not take more than a few steps without collapsing. She even snapped at her father in her frustration over being dependent on others for everything. 

Immediately realizing what she had done, she apologized quickly. "I'm sorry, dad," she said. "I didn't mean..."

"No, it's alright, sweetie," Callaghan assured her. "You have every right to be frustrated."

"I really wanted to walk again, but I can't!" Abigail ranted. Her pent up emotions began pouring out like poison. "I hate Alistair so much for making me like this! He doesn't know what it's like to be trapped and lost, feeling scared and not knowing if you're going to end up dying sooner or saved! I wished he was dead!"

She noticed her a strange glint in her father's eyes but she didn't think so much about it.

"That's an interesting idea," she heard him mumble under his breath. "Wouldn't that be brilliant..."

* * *

A few months passed, Abigail began to notice her dad is gradually distancing himself away from her and spending more time in the basement of their home. Abigail is no longer receiving any more medical help from her doctor. Callaghan even stopped the physiotherapy training.

Abigail also noticed her dad is becoming a bit foul-tempered lately, and she tried to lighten up his mood a few times.

"So, how was school today, Professor Robotics?" she asked cheerfully while her dad worked on something on his laptop in the living room.

"Mundane as usual," Callaghan replied without looking up. "Though one of my student is building a nursebot for his robotics project. I find it rather interesting--robots in the medical field! ... He seems too idealistic, in my opinion."

"That sounds interesting!" Abigail exclaimed. "You know, I don't think Alistair ever invented something like that in Krei Tech--"

Her father's laptop suddenly slammed down and Abigail saw her father's shine with anger.

_**"Don't ever mention his name in this household ever again! What did I tell you?!"** _

"I'm s-sorry, daddy, I forgot..." Abigail cried in a tiny voice.

Callaghan grabbed his laptop and went down to the basement to continue his work. Leaving his daughter behind and without apologizing to her. Abigail is starting to think her dad has simply given up her.

 _No, that's ridiculous,_ she thought as she wheeled herself through the kitchen to get a glass of water from the tap. Her body was still trembling.  _Daddy would never think I'm like a useless load since I never made any progress at walking._

 _But then again,_ a voice inside her said with a sneer, _what if he really does gave up trying get help for you? You're like a doll who can't even use the bathroom without assistance! It's no wonder Alistair never came by to see you. He probably moved on and forgot about you... And what if it's the same for dear father? Maybe he's finding ways to get rid of you too... The only thing that's left of your former self is your beauty..._

It was true, Abigail no longer felt like her old self before she joined Project Silent Sparrow. She used to be care-free and full of life and adventure, a talented botfighter who became a brave pilot. Now she's wasting away in cynical despair, and there would probably be no future for her.

"No," she suddenly said as she set her glass on the kitchen table. "I'm not letting that happened to me. I will... walk again! This is not my dead end!"

Leaning heavily on the kitchen table, she managed to keep herself standing and slowly pressed her foot forward, and a pain shot throughout her leg. She bit down her cry and moved another foot forward, and another until she lets go of the table. She remained standing without an aid, and took a couple of steps before she lost her balance and crashed on the floor. The vibrations moved the glass of water and it fell to the floor.

The noises alerted Callaghan who hurried into the kitchen.

"Abigail?!" he called out to her. He saw her sprawling on the floor and he gently set her back on the wheelchair. "I heard something while I was in the basement. Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"N-no, dad, I'm fine. I tried to reach for the graham crackers on the top of the shelf but I leaned too far," Abigail lied. She was smiling in the inside.

She finally walked!

* * *

The next several weeks while her dad is busy teaching at SFIT, Abigail practiced trying to walk around the house; she could feel her legs getting stronger each day and her health is returning. She wondered if her dad had noticed any difference in her mood but he seemed to be preoccupied with something. Abigail decided to keep her training a secret just wait for the right moment to surprise him.

 _And maybe we can be a family again,_ she thought hopefully as she ran around her home. She felt as though she was flying like a sparrow.

One day, her father told her something interesting; today, he will be a judge at this science showcase that would take place at the exhibition hall at SFIT.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this before, Abigail," Callaghan said as he hastily fixed up his clothes. "I've been busy with so many things. Will you be alright here by yourself?"

"I'll man down the fort while you're gone," she told her as she sat in her wheelchair. "Go have fun, I bet it'll be a blast!"

Callaghan gave her a smile, a genuine smile which Abigail hadn't seen for a long time, before he disappeared out through the door. Waiting for her father to completely leave the driveway, Abigail leaped out of her wheelchair and put on her best clothes. Today, she will be going out for the first time in more than a year. She will spend the day walking around San Fransokyo, visit her favorite spots, and then end it by meeting up with her dad at SFIT when the showcase ended and surprise him with her new, healed self.

* * *

Craving for some sweets, Abigail decided to head down to the popular Lucky Cat cafe only to find it closed.

"That's odd, this place is usually opened at this hour of the day," she said. There was a sign on the door that says that owner has left to see and support her nephew entering the SFIT showcase. She pressed her face against the glass door and stared longingly at the shelves filled of untouched pastries.

"But I was in the mood for cat doughnuts," she groaned, pouting in mild disappointment. "Ohhh, I guess I could go for Tako Taco instead... This sucks..."

The day came by so fast, Abigail was having the best time of her life. There was so many places her legs can take her, she hadn't felt this alive for a long time. It was sundown that she decided to it was finally time to drop by the showcase.

As she strolled into the campus, she saw Krei and his secretary leaving the exhibition hall. She hid nearby so she can watch them; she didn't realize Krei would be here! Maybe he was here to look for the next "big thing" he could buy and mass-produce at Krei Tech. She the saw sharp-nosed entrepreneur frowning, as though someone had irritated him or refused to sell him something.

She thought about popping out of her hiding place and say hi to him but she stopped herself. Despite her bitter feelings towards Krei, she wanted to forgive him for his careless mistakes and faults; yet she felt hesitant of her decision.

 _What if he's not interested to see me again?_ she thought and a small wave of sadness washed over her. _We used to be so close, but now he's like a stranger to me..._

Old, painful memories of her suffering during the past year alone--despite her father being there for he--came back, and she remembered how Krei almost ruined her life. Her hatred re-emerged and she found herself wishing she could strangle him.

She darkly watches Krei and his secretary leaving the campus but she continued to stay at her spot, to calm her senses. Minutes later, a small group of people walked out from the entrance doors and noticed the youngest of the group, a messy-haired Japanese boy ( _or he could be biracial_ , she thought, noticing his features) holding up what it appears to be a letter. She guess that this boy's invention must have won an admission to SFIT, since it's like one of the prizes at the showcase.

Remembering her plan, she crept around the back of the exhibition hall to find the exit. She knew her father so well, he would probably be handling some of the inventions that were accepted and moving them to a separate room in the back of the hall.

* * *

She found the exit and entered. That's when she smelled smoke in the air and heard screaming in the distance. She quickly followed the sound down the hall, and ran into the main hall where a horrifying sight awaits her. The walls and floors were engulfed in huge flames, and smoke is beginning to fill up. She was about to escape when she saw someone in the distance, near one of the stages. She ran to person, avoiding the flames and keeping her body low to avoid inhaling smoke.

She recognized him immediately.

"Dad!!" she screamed.

"Abigail?" Callaghan turned around and his eyes wide when he saw who called him. He was wearing a strange metallic headband on his forehead. "Abigail, you're walking?"

"Dad, what are you doing here?" she demanded, her voiced filled with fear. "The whole place is burning up!"

Then a low beam collapsed from the ceiling it fell with a crash behind them. The beam had blocked their only exit. Abigail's heart hammered, panic rising inside her chest. How does this happened? She heard something else and a swarm of what looks like tiny robots dismantling what looks like a machine full of chemicals that was strapped up in the ceiling located far away from them and near the doors of the main lobby. Then the nanobots crawled down and moved towards Callaghan, as though they were controlled by him. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Dad, what are those?" she asked.

"These are microbots," he replied quickly. "This neurotransmitter I'm wearing controls them."

"What did you just do with them? Did you... " she stopped and brushed away her suspicions since there are more important things at hand. "Look, we have to get out of here!"

"You shouldn't even be here!" Callaghan shouted at her. He looked worried and, at the same time, outraged. "I'm not in even in danger!"

"What does that even mean?"

Just then, they heard a cry over the roaring, crackling flames. 

**_"Tadashi! ... Tadashi!"_ **

Callaghan's face turned pale as he saw Hiro Hamada coming out from a corner. The young teenaged boy was holding his brother's baseball cap.

"Professor Callaghan!" Hiro shouted, coughing from the smoke. "You're here! Have you seen Tadashi, he ran in here to find you!"

"You're that boy I saw earlier..." Abigail gasped.

Hiro's eyes widened when he saw his professor wearing the neurotransmitter and saw the swarm of microbots near his feet.

"Wait, those are my microbots!"

Callaghan then shot a hand forward and a pillar of microbots lunged forward and knocked Hiro against a wall, knocking him out. Abigail stared in shock.

"Dad, why did you that?!" she yelled. Her mind tried to process what she just saw.

"He saw too much," Callaghan said cruelly. "Let's go, we're leaving him."

Abigail heard another beam cracking above. She and Callaghan saw it ready to fall on top of Hiro's unconscious body; but the former dove in and grabbed Hiro away as the beam smashed in the floor. While Abigail checked to see if the boy was alive, Callaghan saw the flames burning the machine with chemicals. Thinking quickly, he used the microbots to form a spherical shield around Abigail and Hiro.

Then the bomb went off.

* * *

After the explosion ended, Abigail was surprised to see the strength of the microbots had managed to save both of her and the boy. But her surprise was replaced with terror when she remembered her father used the microbots to save them. The microbot sphere began to fall away and Abigail's heart stopped when the entire main hall covered in flames nearly everything destroyed, debris scattered all over the room. 

She looked around for her father and saw his body under a huge pile of burning wood.

 _"Daddy!"_ she shrieked, distraught and panicking. She ran to his side and tried to lift the wood off him but her hands got burned. She winced in pain, feeling herself ready to cry.

"Abigail..." Callaghan wheezed, coughing heavily from the smoke. "Get out of here, save yourself..."

 _"S-shut up, I'm not leaving you here!"_ Abigail shouted. Her tears kept falling, her body shaking violently as she tried to control herself. _"We're going home together, you're my only family left!"_

Callaghan just gave her a regretful smile and used his remaining strength to remove the neurotransmitter band from his hand dropped it on her burned hands.

"You are truly... the greatest joy a father could ever had," he whispered. Then his head went limp and he closed his eyes.

Professor Robert Callaghan never breathed again. 

Abigail's anguished wails were drowned out by the flames.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((So, there you have it. About how Abigail was rescued from the portal dimension and what she had been doing, slowly building up to her becoming a villain. And you're probably curious about what happened to Hiro. That would be explained in the next chapter.))


	13. I Am (not) Satisfied With My Care

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An enraged Tadashi tries to go after Abigail and it ends with tragic results.

Abigail took deep breathes to calm herself and continued as though nothing had happened.

"My father died in the fire he started at the showcase, but I used the microbots to escape from there," she told Tadashi. She remembered coming home after the fire and discovering what her dad had been doing in their basement. "... Afterwards, I became a criminal so I can carry out my father's last wish."

"I don't know exactly what you're trying to do, but it's over for you," Tadashi said. He's still holding the Kabuki mask which contained the neurotransmitter to control the microbots.

Abigail looked at him with a strange, dark smile on her face. She began to chuckle.

"Your brother was right, you do act like some big-shot hero."

Her words took Tadashi by surprise. Even his friends were confused as they watched from a distance.

"Y-you know my brother Hiro?" he inquired. He vaguely remembered Callaghan mentioning his daughter being a botfighter to Hiro.

"Jeez, for a nerd who goes to nerd school, you are pretty stupid," Abigail snorted, rolling her eyes. She seemed to relish on the young man's reaction. "I'm not the only one who survived the explosion. Who do you think was helping me build more microbots?"

Tadashi stopped breathing and all his senses turned numb. He wondered if he was hearing things but Abigail's expression confirmed it.

"You mean...  Hiro is still alive?" he asked, choking up. A tear roll down his face. His kid brother, who he thought died in the fire, was still alive and probably waiting for Tadashi to rescue him. 

"Yeah, I saved him too before I kidnapped him."

Then, Abigail shook her head. "However, he died not so long. Died from a broken heart because you weren't able to find him in time."

Her hand reached deep inside into her trench coat and pulled out a familiar baseball cap, and it landed in front of Tadashi's feet.

"Your brother was holding on to it, even to his last breath," she told him. Her voice, despite sweet to the ears, was laced with malice. "You should have hear him begging for you to save him." Then she began to put on a mocking, boyish voice and placed the back of her hand against her forehead, pretending to act like a distressed person. _"Tadashi, where are you? Tadashi, you said you're not giving up on me. Tadashiiii..."_

Tadashi felt as though he was fall into a dark abyss. His body began to tremble and he was seeing red. An inhuman cry escaped from his throat. He dropped the mask and hurl himself at Abigail, pushing her violently against a wall and his hands clutching her shoulders in a claw-like grip.

"Tadashi, no!" Wasabi screeched. He and the others rushed over to him.

"You're lying to me! Tell me where my brother is!" Tadashi yelled at Abigail. Hatred began to burn inside him, he couldn't think straight. His pulls back one hand and his glove began to emit electrical sparks. "You have ten seconds to let me know where he is or I'll fry your face off!"

Abigail wasn't intimidated. "Go ahead," she egged him on. "But it'll never bring the dead back anyway."

Enraged, Tadashi was about to land a deadly blow when one of Gogo's discs hit his hand, breaking the electrical glove. Then he was pulled back by Wasabi and Fred while Abigail quickly ran away before anyone grabbed her.

"Let me go! This is personal!" Tadashi screamed at them, struggling to pull away.

"Tadashi, this isn't what we signed up!" Fred protested.

"SHE KILLED MY BROTHER!!"

Gogo and Honey tried to go after Abigail before the criminal can reach for her Kabuki mask. However, Abigail took out a metallic bomb and threw it at ground near the superhero team's feet.

"Look out!" Gogo yelled as she and Honey tried to push the others away from the bomb.

It detonated and giant flash of light blinded the group.

"This is a flash bomb!" Honey yelled. 

Abigail immediately grabbed her mask and put it on. She felt the microbots gathering around her and lifted her away further from the group when the flashing light died down. Tadashi tried to adjust his eyes but he thought he saw Abigail getting away. He cannot allow that. While Wasabi and Fred tried to control him, Tadashi noticed Abigail tearing a piece of giant concrete from the walls and tossed it towards the group. They were trapped in a corner and there's nowhere else to escape. They're going to be crushed!

Everyone braced for the impact when Baymax flew in front of them and used his armored body to protect the team. Abigail snarled behind her mask and used her microbots to form a giant drill-spear. She will not leave until these meddling kids are completely gone for good.

The spear tried to pierce the group, but Baymax blocked the attack with his body. The microbot-spear began drilling into Baymax's body, trying to tear into his carbon-fiber armor. Yet the caregiver bot did not budge yet the spear kept slowly pushing him further back. The others huddled together in the corner, watching this suspenseful moment.

"What do we do now?' Wasabi demanded.

"We're trapped, and we're gonna die anyway if we stay here any longer!" Fred said. "And I can't use my super-jump when you're all too close to me."

"Baymax, move! You're going to get killed if you keep this up!" Tadashi yelled at his robot.

"If I move, you and everyone else will be in harm's way," Baymax replied. He continued to talk as the spear kept hitting and drilling into his body. "When I saw you fighting so hard to save and protect people, I finally understood the purpose you built me. I am so glad to be fighting alongside with you. You are not just my patient anymore, Tadashi... You are my friend."

Tadashi stared at his robot, feeling his chest swell with love and pride for his robot. Even though Tadashi pushed everyone away or put them in trouble, Baymax continued to stand by him.

 _Thank you for helping me, Baymax,_ he thought. _Now it's my turn to help you._

Tadashi quickly racked his brains, pushing away his anger aside for now; he has to save his friends before Abigail can destroy them. He then remembered the special trigger he installed in Baymax's fighting chip that would activate his "defense mode", at least according to his theory. Except, he was unable to test it yet to see if it would have faulty effects, but he had no other choice.

"Baymax... Help!" He shouted out the trigger.

Baymax suddenly froze up as his fighting programming took over. His eyes then turned red. He opened his wings and rocket forward while the others were knocked back by the powerful force. Abigail was stunned to see the flying robot breaking through her spear and before she could defend herself, Baymax grabbed her body and threw her against the wall, causing a minor crater on the impact.

Abigail fell to the floor, her body hurt all over. She touched her face and realized her Kabuki mask is gone. She saw it lying several feet away and before she could reach it, Baymax landed on top of it, his foot snapping it in half.

"No!" Abigail shouted. However, her anger was replaced with fear when she saw Baymax silently approaching her, swinging his hands by his side. She realized what's happening and she tried to crawl away backwards. "N-no, get away from me!"

"Baymax...?" Tadashi said, staring in shock. He didn't program his to act like that. 

He broke away from the others and ran towards his robot. "Baymax, stop! You weren't programmed to harm people!"

Baymax turned to face Tadashi. Then he stopped chasing Abigail and moved towards his creator. Then without warning, he used a fist and smacked Tadashi away. The inventor landed on the smile piles of microbts, groaning loudly in pain. He looked up to see his friends trying to stop Baymax, but the robot didn't seem to recognize them and he keeps trying to attack them.

Honey kept throwing her chem-balls at Baymax's lower body, but the robot kept breaking through the hardening foam. Wasabi and Fred tried to hold down Baymax's arms but they were tossed around like ragdolls. Gogo kept trying to open Baymax's access portal so she could remove the fighting chip, but it was jammed shut.

"Baymax, we're not your enemies!" Honey shouted desperately. "Please, stop!"

Tadashi remained frozen in spot and continue to stare in horror. He wondered if the trigger installed in the fighting chip had unintentionally corrupted Baymax into becoming a ruthless, fighting machine. He didn't want that to happened, he wanted Baymax to heal and protect people!

"What have I done..." he gasped, feeling horrified for violating his robot and his original programming.

He saw Abigail running oddly around the room, trying to avoid getting hit or captured by the rampaging Baymax. She seems to be dropping something on the floor. She then ran towards the huge hole of wall before she stopped. She looked back into the lab room and pulled out a small device with a button on it. Tadashi finally realized what she was doing earlier. Before he can alert the other, she pressed the button. Thunderous explosions went off around the giant lab, the walls and floors destroyed in fire and dust. Wasabi, Gogo, Honey and Fred were thrown to the floor; luckily they all survived but they were moving in pain. Abigail, smug about her quick-thinking, quickly disappeared.

Baymax was about to go after Abigail when the floor below him exploded as well and the ceiling fell on top of him.

"BAYMAX!!" Tadashi screamed and ran to where his robot is.

He leaped over debris, avoided the flames that made him feel queasy in his stomach, until he stopped dead when he saw Baymax's unmoving body lying on the floor covered in wood and cement. His armor was destroyed from the explosion and it had broken away, revealing his original soft body which had been damaged too; the inflatable vinyl skin is deflated and in tatters, some areas which are away in some areas burnt. Even the metallic skeleton was bent out of shape.

Tadashi noticed the access portal was burnt but he pressed it until it finally opened. He tossed out the fighting chip; it landed in a fire nearby and melted away. The inventor could feel his heart shattering seeing his robot's broken body. His friends were back on their feet and gathered around him. 

Tadashi stared at the half-burnt nursechip in the cartridge. He pushed the green chip back into the access portal.

He muttered a low sound to activate his robot. "Ow..."

Baymax didn't move or wake up. He remained lifeless.

"Ow," Tadashi repeated, this time louder.

Again no response.

Tadashi began screaming "Ow" all over again while his tears began to pour out. He felt Honey's hand on his back and he broke down crying.

"Tadashi, we're so sorry..." Honey said sadly.

Gogo suddenly placed something on Tadashi's hand. It was the broken half of the Kabuki mask and the neurotransmitter remained intact.

"You might not want anything to do with this, but at least you finally got your brother's invention back," she said.

Then they heard explosions somewhere in the building and the whole room began to shake. It appears Abigail had rigged more explosions and decided to bury them. Even the fire is starting to spread.

"We have to go," Wasabi said.

Fred tried to pull Tadashi away from Baymax's body.

"Tadashi, we have to get to safety," Fred said in a broken voice. "B-Baymax would have wanted you to live. So, please... Do this for him!"

Tadashi was stopped crying and nodded. Quickly, he opened Baymax's access portal again and glanced at robot face one last time.

He wanted to Baymax to continue help many people, but now it seemed the robot would never do it.

He bent down and kissed his robot's head.

"I... I'm satisfied with my care," he whispered to Baymax.

Everyone ran towards the exit when they heard the ceiling cracking and it began to fall on them. Tadashi put on the mask and the microbots formed a shield to protect everyone. Everything was buried in minutes.

* * *

Meanwhile, Krei's secretary was sitting in her car in the shadows of an alleyway, just a few blocks away from the building and watch it collapse from her rear-view window. Faint sounds of police sirens was heard in the distance. Then someone entered in the passenger's seat.

"You went overboard," she remarked, scolding Abigail lightly.

"That building was going to be demolished anyway," Abigail said. "And I need to find a way to make sure they won't survive this time."

"So, that's why you didn't kill Hamada immediately when he broke into your home," the secretary said as she drive away from the alley. "You wanted to see who else survived and lured them to a trap."

Abigail nodded. She then hissed and clutched her side.

"That stupid robot of theirs almost killed me. And he destroyed the neurotransmitter."

"That's a shame," the secretary commented. "We still have the rest of the microbots waiting for us, but our only neurotransmitter to control them is gone. How are we going to proceed with the plan without the microbots?"

"We don't need microbots, I have a back-up plan," Abigail said.

"You have what?"

"Drive us to the warehouse. It's still there."

* * *

Right after the dust and smoke cleared, the microbots broke through the fallen rubble and everyone climbed out. They were covered in dust and their suits a little damaged, but they were safe and unharmed. Except now they were missing their sixth member.

"Hiro's invention saved us," Tadashi said in a hollow voice as he removed the mask from his face. He felt so empty inside.

"Tadashi, will you be okay?" Wasabi asked.

Tadashi looked down at Baymax's burnt nurse-chip but he said nothing.

Everyone then left the site immediately before the police came. Tadashi placed all the remaining microbots inside some plastic, garbage bins and kept them in the garage where they belong with Hiro's computers. Never again they will be used for evil purposes. As for the Kabuki mask, he hid it somewhere Hiro's room so he wouldn't have to look at it and be reminded of costs that were made.

While he did retrieve the microbots and everyone else was alive, Abigail still escaped, his brother is dead, and Baymax is accidentally killed after being corrupted by some possible glitch or virus in the fighting chip.

Big Hero 6's first mission seemed liked it ended in failure.

* * *

Abigail and Krei's secretary walked to the back of the warehouse. The secretary is confused about what Abigail is going to show her. They entered a room and she gasped when she saw lying in the corner.

"Oh, this must be your first time seeing it," Abigail said slyly as she walked over to the huge robot. "This came through the same portal when I was rescued. Nobody knew where it came from, not even Krei. Now you understand why I want you to ask Tadashi Hamada where he got the idea to build his robot?"

"What are you planning to do with it?" the secretary demanded in a low, terrified voice.

"You'll see," Abigail said as she pulled out a huge toolbox and set down on a nearby table. "Not many people know this, but I was a former botfighter."

The secretary just continued staring at the white, marshmallow-like robot Baymax. He seemed to be deactivated and he wearing what looks like broken pieces of red armor.

* * *

The next few days, Tadashi could not leave his home except on nights he patrolled around San Fransokyo with the team. He couldn't bring himself out of the bed as he fell into depression. He couldn't explain to Aunt Cass about what exactly happened, though she kept asking about Baymax's whereabouts. His friends continued to visit him and tried to support him, and but their words of comfort did not help him.

He missed Baymax and he realized that without his caregiver bot, Tadashi's health and mind is slowly declining.

While Big Hero 6 continued their superhero duties, it wasn't the same without their robot friend. Tadashi couldn't concentrate on fighting random criminals and he keeps getting distracted. The others tried to tell him to stay home and they'll do the job without him. However, Tadashi stubbornly pushed himself to fight because he was still determined to protect as many people as he can. His friends are beginning to worry for Tadashi, and they're afraid of losing him too.

One night, it was raining over at San Fransokyo. Fred had invited Tadashi over at his mansion (after much persuasion to get him out of the house) so they can have a two-person party before  the two go out to patrol the city. Gogo, Wasabi, and Honey couldn't come tonight since they're all busy in their part-time jobs.

Tadashi sat on the couch while Fred ate most of the pizza and show off his favorite comics; the school mascot was trying get Tadashi to talk about his feelings.

"Baymax and Hiro would have love this one," Fred said as he showed a cover of a boy riding on dragon-like beast, and he's surrounded by five other people. "The first issue of Super Samurai 7! It's about a group of people are assigned to protect their country from the villainous spectre Everwraith. This comic sort of reminds us in a way, it's so cool."

"That sounds interesting, Fred," Tadashi said quietly. His face was blank and heavy, as though he was exhausted.

The school mascot suddenly picked up a manga book which has a picture of a magical girl on the cover.

"I've been trying to find a gift for Honey's birthday and I heard from Gogo that she likes manga," Fred said. He looked dreamily at the cover. "Do you think she will like this? I mean, you know I how I used to have a sorta crush on her... Hang on, I still do~!"

He chuckled, shaking his head. Remembering how Honey kissed him on the cheek that night at the old Krei Tech lab made him blush. "To be honest, there's also someone else I liked..."

Tadashi shrugged, not paying attention. However, hearing Gogo's name made him wish he was with her at her place. He missed talking to her and he felt terrible for almost getting her killed thanks to his reckless actions.

Fred puts down the comic and sat closer to his friend. He gently takes his hand, their fingers interlocking.

"Tadashi, we missed them both," he said. "I may not know them as much as you do, but that doesn't mean they weren't important to me and the rest of our pals. And we'll always be here for you, amigo."

Fred paused and he looked away, blushing a little. "You know," he continued. "If I had one superpower right now, I would give you a big hug to remove all your pain and every tragedy in your life."

Tadashi was then reminded of an old conversation he and Fred shared back in the garage.

"Hey, Fred, there's something that has been bothering me," he said. Fred's face lit up and leaned forward, giving Tadashi his full attention. "Why do most superhero origin stories have protagonists mature or become heroes only when they receive some sorta of personal tragedy? They don't need some trauma to push them into becoming heroes. And what if they don't become heroes, but villains instead? It feels like a whole pile of baloney that you need to mature if something bad happens to you."

Fred became quiet as he tried to think of a good answer to this one.

"Well, people who suffered a lot become superheroes because they don't want others to suffer the same thing too," he explained carefully. "That's why they're burden with a lot of responsibilities. And if they're not careful, they might slowly become the very villains they swore to fight."

Tadashi fall silent but he was still not convinced of Fred's explanation. He lost his parents at a young age, his brother and his robot died because of his reckless actions. How much more tragedies does he have to suffer, it isn't fair at all. He thought of Abigail again and he wished he could have still stopped her when he had the chance.

"Besides, Baymax isn't really gone," Fred piped up, trying to sound hopeful. "You still got his nursechip! You can rebuild his body, put in the nursechip, and--VOILA! Baymax is back in business!"

"You don't understand, Fred," Tadashi said. "Yes, Baymax's personality is in the chip, but it got damaged in that explosion. Even if I rebuild him, all of Baymax's quirks and data inside the chip are probably ruined and it can't be processed in the new shell. Baymax... is gone for good."

He stood up and picked up his helmet from Fred's bed.

"Better put on your suit. We'll be ready to leave soon," he told Fred.

He didn't care that it was pouring outside, he wanted to some time to think while he hunts some criminals. He felt Fred's arms wrapped tight around his body from behind, and he was pulled into a hug. He remembered how Baymax was telling him how hugging gives compassion and physical reassurance when one is going through personal loss. Tadashi found himself crying about Baymax and Hiro again.

"Why are so you nice to me?" he asked Fred through his sobs. "I don't deserve such kindess after what I've did. I couldn't protect or save the people who are precious to me."

Fred allowed Tadashi to cry, and just continued hugging him.

"You know, ever since the night Baymax is gone... I regretted running into the exhibition hall to save Professor Callaghan," Tadashi whimpered. "If I hadn't, Hiro wouldn't have run in to find me... He's gone because I was an idiot. It's my fault...!"

* * *

It continued to rain heavily while two figures ran and leaped on the rooftops of of the city. Tadashi and Fred were chasing a huge man who just mugged a couple and they cornered him to an alleyway. The criminal doesn't seem like he's going to give up with out a fight. He held up a knife and tried to stab at one of the two superheroes. The blade barely sunk into Fred's suit and the comic fanboy strike the mugger down with his tail in retaliation. Tadashi, however, tackled the man and began punching him. How dare this scum try to kill his friend! Tadashi could feel his rage reaching a boiling point as he continued pummeling the man's face, and venting other frustrations on him.

"That's enough, you don't have to go too far!" Fred said as he pulled Tadashi off him. Then the two heard the police sirens and they disappeared quickly.

Tadashi leaped on top of a nearby building using his cable wires and glared at Fred through the thick rain. He removed his helmet and threw it at his friend.

"Why did you stop me, he almost killed you!" he shouted.

Fred removed the headgear of suit, letting the rain fall on his head and face. "Tadashi, I know you're upset but hurting people won't heal the pain," he begged.

"Don't tell me how I should feel, you're not Baymax!" Tadashi growled.

The school mascot winced at these harsh words but he approached closer to the inventor, his face inches away him. 

"Alright, I'm not Baymax. But I'm still your friend who's not going to give up on you."

Tadashi thought Fred was going to hug him again. He turned around and muttered in a cold voice, "I'm going home. Don't follow me." He then ran off, leaving a heartbroken Fred behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((I APOLOGIZE FOR ENDING MY CHAPTER LIKE THIS. As well as killing off Baymax in a brutal way. Now you're possibly thinking about where the second Baymax came from... I think you can figure that yourselves. And also, is Hiro really dead or is Abigail lying?  
> And since Baymax is dead, Tadashi's mental health is worsening and he doesn't have his nursebot around to help him anymore.))


	14. Dying Alone on Top of the World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tadashi's desire to help people becomes questioned as he continues to spiral further into despair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Sorry this took forever to update! I've been busy getting work and I came down with a nasty cold. @_@ 
> 
> A few characters from chapter 6 have returned briefly here~))

Tadashi finally stopped running until he came to a secluded area in a dark, narrow alley. He let the icy raindrops fall on his head as he leaned against a wall to catch his breath. He felt disgusted with himself for shouting at Fred and leaving him behind when the school mascot was trying to help him.

"Unbelievable... Why did I say those things?" he muttered, his heart filled with shame and anger. "Why can't I do anything right for once... I'm such an idiot!"

For the first time since the night he lost his robot, Tadashi wished Baymax was here to help him. He's been so used taking care of people, he never experienced being taken care of until Baymax came along. Now he felt so alone and helpless tonight.

He didn't know how long he stayed in that position but he then heard a couple of voices talking nearby. They seem to be coming from around the alley. Tadashi aimlessly followed the sound, his feet felt heavy like cement.

Around the corner and standing under a dry spot outside the back what looks like a restaurant, are the Banzai Brothers exchanging money and talking to what Tadashi recognized to be the older cousin of that Yasuo boy he rescued from a botfight a long time ago.

He stayed hidden in the shadows as he listened to their conversation.

"... So every time he wins a botfight, he gives all the cash to me," Yuan snickered. 

"Are you really that okay with us landing your cousin in the hospital?" the older Banzai Brother asked, raising an amused eyebrow. "You should have seen how twisted his arm looked after we broke it."

"Hey, he keeps annoying me about how much he wants to see this Hiro Hamada kid from his school," Yuan shrugged.

"Speaking of which, what ever happened to that Hamada boy?" the younger Banzai brother asked as he began smoking a cigarette. "We haven't heard of him for a long time now. Do you think he stopped trying to hustle the other botfighters?"

"Haven't you read the newspapers weeks ago?" Yuan snorted. "He died in some fire accident at this college campus. Bet he went up in flames like his botfighting career."

"He deserved it!" the younger Banzai Brother laughed. "Little brats like him need to be taught a lesson."

"Excuse me."

The three men turned to see Tadashi approaching them; they were curious about why he's wearing such colorful armor. A dark shadow came over the inventor's face.

"Why would you treat a dead person with such disrespect?" Tadashi demanded. Then he turns to Yuan in a low voice. "And this cousin of yours... He obviously sees you as someone important to him, yet you don't care how much he gets hurt as long he gives you his winnings?"

"You have no damn business coming in here to tell us how we should treat people," the older Banzai brother growled. "Who do you think you are?"

Tadashi ignored him as he let dark thoughts clouding his heart. His electrical glove began to spark dangerously which made Yuan and the Banzai Brothers uneasy.

"Hey, do you think some lives are worth helping after all...?" he asked them in a strange tone. His eyes seemed lifeless and cold. "You better speak up now and tell me what I'm fighting for."

The lightning flashed and thunder clapped over their heads while Tadashi ominously waited for their answer.

* * *

The following morning, the rain stopped falling but the sky was still cloudy and grey. Gogo, Wasabi, Honey and Fred went to visit Tadashi at his home before they head to SFIT but to their shock, Aunt Cass told them that her nephew had not came home yesterday.

"I tried to reach him but he left his cellphone before!" Cass cried. She was starting to panic, fearing the worst that happened to her missing nephew. "I don't know what's happening to him--His health was improving and he was starting to act like his old self again. Now, he suddenly collapsed back into depression! I haven't called the police yet but I'm still scared..."

Honey placed a comforting, gentle hand on the older woman's shoulder. 

"We'll find him and bring him back to you," Honey told her softly. "Tadashi's our best friend."

Aunt Cass sniffled and wiped away her tears. 

"Just bring him home safe," she said, putting on a tiny smile. "And give him a good knuckle sandwich for worrying his auntie."

"We'll do that," Wasabi chuckled.

Gogo noticed from the corner of his eye that Fred wasn't smiling or acting upbeat like his usual. He was even acting strange earlier when the group decided to drop by the Lucky Cat cafe.

"I do have a question. Whatever happened to Baymax?" she asked curiously. "I haven't seen the big cutie in days."

The group fell into awkward silence; they couldn't bring themselves to tell them what happened to the robot. However, Wasabi acted fast.

"Oh, we took him back to SFIT for a presentation of some final robotics project!" he explained. He felt queasy telling a lie, but Aunt Cass bought it. Her smile became wider and more hopeful.

"Ah, so I guess that's where Tadashi is! Probably spend the night over at the school," she said. She shook her head but she was slowly feeling relieved. "Well, you better make sure he comes home tonight when you see him!"

When the group left the cafe, they walked around and saw the garage door halfway open. Wasabi opened the door fully. The inventor was nowhere to be found and the bins full of Hiro's microbots were in their place as usual. Honey poked around until she urgently called the others over. Everyone found Tadashi's red carbon-fiber armor, emitting the faint smell of rain, lying in a puddle of water behind the bins.

"So he was actually here earlier but he left home again without letting his aunt know," Wasabi said.

After everyone else left the garage, he closed down the door. The group walked further down until they came to a parking where Wasabi's new van and Gogo's bike are waiting for them.

"Where do you think Tadashi went off to?" Honey asked nervously. "You don't supposed something terrible has happened to him?"

"This is Tadashi--he survived near-death experiences and all kinds of danger," Wasabi muttered. "He probably went back to destroyed Krei Tech facility to dig up some remains of Baymax so he could rebuild him."

"I don't that's possible," Gogo frowned, popping her gum. "I've been keeping tabs of the newspaper. The police did some investigation of the building and they claimed most stuff buried under the rubble are completely destroyed."

The purple-streaked girl then pointed at Fred's direction. "But I think I know who was the last person who saw Tadashi last night."

Fred stammered, "I d-don't know where he went! We did our usual patrol and criminal-hunting as usual, he said he wanted to go home and told me not to follow him!"

"There's something you're not telling us," Gogo demanded.

Fred become reluctant but he caved in and told the others of Tadashi's scary behavior last night. The others were left stunned when the school mascot finished.

"That idiot..." Gogo grumbled.

"What do we do now?" Honey asked. "Should we go out and find him?"

"We can't skip class!" Wasabi protested.

Gogo then jumped into her bike--a normal one, not the school project version she made at the university--and turned to the others.

"I'll go find him instead since I'm faster and know my way around the city," she said. "You three go on ahead to SFIT, make some excuses about my absence."

Before the others could stop her, Gogo was already speeding down the street.

* * *

**Nine Years Ago.**

"Tadashi."

Five-year-old Hiro walked into Tadashi's side of the room. The little boy thought he heard his older brother crying and he came over to investigate.

"Hiro?" Tadashi's head perked up. He quickly wiped his snotty nose with the sleeve of his shirt. "I thought you were taking a nap."

The young boy was lying curled up in his bed; he had been crying after fully realizing he and Hiro's parents are dead and they're not coming back. Tadashi could feel his heart being crushed ever since the two-year anniversary of their deaths had passed. Despite now living with Aunt Cass, Tadashi is worried about a future without his parents to guide him.

Hiro didn't seem to understand why his big brother is crying. However, he gave Tadashi a huge smile and climbed onto his bed to give him a hug.

"Nii-chan, no crying," Hiro said cheerfully as he rubbed Tadashi's head. "Let's play."

Tadashi hiccuped his sobs but just looking at that tiny, happy face reminded him that he didn't lose Hiro too. He promised his parents he will look after his brother, and he's not going to give up on their promise.

The boy sat up and wiped his eyes dry.

"Okay, Hiro," he said. "What do you want to do you?"

Hiro squealed happily and jumped off the bed. He left his brother's side and came back carrying a box full of parts to build a toy.

"Can you teach me how to build a robot?" he asked excitedly.

* * *

**Current Day.**

Tadashi silently stood in front of Hiro's grave, holding Megabot in one hand. He couldn't remember what exactly happened last night but he felt so tired and his body was ready to fall apart in broken pieces. 

"Hey, Hiro," he said, staring at his brother's name. He wondered if Hiro is listening to him right now. "I'm sorry for not stopping by to see you sooner. I had a lot of things on my mind."

He then holds up the battlebot in front of the grave. He tries to put on a cheerful smile. "I brought Megabot with me. I think he misses all those times you two won in botfighting."

He became quiet again. He saw Hiro standing before him, arms crossed and a cocky smirk on his face. Tadashi's heart filled despair and legs ready to give out.

"Hiro," he began. His throat felt as though there's a stiff limp preventing him to speak. "I'm sorry that I couldn't find you or save you. I promised Mom and Dad I'd looked after you, but I didn't..." He finally fell on his knees and let the hot tears fall down his face. "It's my fault you're gone... It's my fault."

He heard someone approaching him from behind and felt a hand touch his shoulder. He looked up to see Gogo looking down at him. She was panting as though she'd been speeding on her bike, but she looked relieved to see him.

"So, this is where you've been," she said. "You owed your aunt an apology. She was so worried about you, she didn't know where you went."

"Oh, right..." Tadashi run a hand over his face. "Sorry, I wasn't myself last night..."

"No, kidding. Fred told me and the others about the way you treated him at your last last patrol," she said stiffly, crossing her arms. "You can be so cruel, you know. Sorry if I sound harsh, but it's the truth. We can't always be walking on eggshells and waiting for you to explode on us."

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Her eyes softened in sadness. "You're our friend, Tadashi. You may try to push us away, but I don't think Baymax or Hiro would ever forgive us if we abandoned you now."

Hearing her words made Tadashi recall the night he and the others formed a superhero team to track down the masked man together. It was supposed to a moment where everything will go right for him; yet, Baymax is gone, Abigail isn't caught, and the one responsible for the fire is dead.

"Do you remember our promise that night?" she asked.

* * *

_After explaining to the others about the video of Silent Sparrow he found back in Professor Callaghan's home on the same night they lost their robot friend, Tadashi still wanted to track down the criminal but the others stopped him since Abigail is now defenseless without her microbots and won't be going after them._

_"But she's still out there!" he angrily told them, clutching the broken half of the Kabuki mask. "She could still attack innocent people! If you don't want to help me catch her, fine! But she still destroyed Baymax!"_

_Gogo suddenly came forward and slapped him across the face to shut him up much to the shock of the others. Tadashi was stunned for one moment; before he could say anything, Gogo pulled him into a big hug and Tadashi felt his body becoming warm and light. He felt safe in her arms and he found himself wishing he could melt into her._

_"We'll continue patrolling the city as usual," she told him. "When we find Abigail next time, we're going to catch her and make it right."_

_She pulled back so she can glare at him with a pain expression. "So... stop being a reckless idiot. I don't want to see you end up dead."_

_Hearing how he's so important to Gogo made Tadashi's chest swell with fondness and his pain less hurt for a brief moment._

* * *

Gogo grabbed Tadashi by his arm and pulled him to his feet.

"C'mon, let's get you home," she said to him gently.

After enduring an earful punishment from Aunt Cass, Tadashi led Gogo up to his room so the two could talk more. The woman leaned against the inventor's desk while Tadashi sat on his bed. The two of them haven't spoke since they first entered the room, yet Gogo is in no hurry into making her friend talk. Tadashi struggled to find his words but it was so hard to concentrate when the girl he had his eyes one had found him at his weakest, lowest moment.

"This is the second time you left our friends to find me," he finally spoke up. He could feel his cheeks burning. "You got to stop doing that."

"If I don't, you'll probably wind up somewhere dead," Gogo replied, looking away from him. "Besides, I promised your aunt I'd look after you.

Tadashi chuckled a little before he continued. 

"Gogo, can you be honest with me?" he asked hesitantly.

"I'm always honest," she said sarcastically, raising an eyebrow. _But are you willing to be honest with yourself?_ she thought.

"Everything I did for the past couple of weeks: upgrading Baymax, you, and everyone else... Fighting so hard to stop criminals and catch Abigail... Is it really worth it?"

"I think the better question is... Why exactly did you build Baymax for?" Gogo asked him.

Tadashi was taken aback by her words. "What do you mean?"

"I thought so," Gogo sighed. She was wearing a blank expression but Tadashi's reactions confirmed her suspicions. "You're not really trying to help people."

"What does that have to do with that question you asked me earlier?" Tadashi demanded. He was getting angry again but Gogo went on.

"You built Baymax so _he_ could help people," she told him. "But he was programmed with the skills to do his job. Skills that you lacked... You're basically extending your fantasy to help others because you feel you're not good enough to do it yourself. The night when you formed Big Hero 6 at Fred's home, you told us that you're not strong enough to protect all of us. You repeatedly pushed us away and refused our help, despite knowing the dangers of catching a criminal. If people involved with you die, it would ruin your 'golden boy' image that you've built up years trying to please everybody."

"You're wrong, I would never..." Tadashi stammered. 

"Tadashi, you were in a hurry to save Callaghan from the fire that you never thought of the consequences of your reckless actions," Gogo pressed on without stopping. "You never thought about how Hiro would act, or how your aunt and friends would feel if the worse happened to you. You could have at least had asked some people nearby to help you find the professor but you immediately ran in. A truly selfless person would have at least hesitate instead of just blinding jumping into danger... You went through so much lengths to help people that you want to prove to them that you're a good person who'd literally die for the sake of others, because you want to be seen as someone special."

Tadashi stood up and his fist slammed his desk hard, the vibrations nearly knocking his lamp over. Gogo kept a cool expression.

"... Unless I'm reading too much into this, so I'm sorry for accusing you for such things," she said. She did sounded truly sorry.

However, Tadashi shook his head.

"No, you're right," he said weakly. He was wearing a strange, sad smile. "Everything I did to build Baymax to help people, form this team, and me being a good person... it's because I wanted to be needed by anyone and redeem my failures for not helping people sooner. That's why I'd rather be the person who gets hurt then letting others get hurt."

He thought back all those times he saw people standing by the side and not offering their hand to help people who are in danger; he couldn't allow himself to be that kind of person. He wanted to be a hero and a nurturer, even going so far to willingly sacrifice his health and personal needs while putting others before him. But after what happened last night, he felt like he doesn't deserve to protect San Fransokyo anymore.

"Okay, you may have a mild chronic martyr complex," Gogo shrugged. A reddish tint of blush appeared on her cheeks and she shyly scratched her face with a finger. "But the reason I became your friend and helped form Big Hero 6... is because I was inspired by you."

Tadashi looked at her with genuine surprise.

"You didn't have to prove that you're a kind, selfless person because you're already are," she said. "Seeing you acting like a hero for your brother and then for San Fransokyo, willingly ready to save the day from crime, and never asking anything in return... It may sound corny on Fred's comic book levels, but that's what I like about you. And when you began smiling less since Hiro died, it hurts my heart to see you become an empty shell of your former self. I wanted to see the Tadashi Hamada who inspires people to look for solutions in a different angle again."

Tadashi slowly approached until he was standing in front of her. He took her hands into his; it felt so warmth in his touch. He and Gogo stared deeply into each other's eyes.

"I'm still the same guy," he told her, closing his eyes. Then he lowered his head and locked his lips against hers.

He could taste the gum on her soft lips, and inside her mouth...

* * *

Later that afternoon, Tadashi called everyone else to the garage where he had an important announcement to tell them. The others are glad to see Tadashi is found alive and safe, but they were surprised when they learned it didn't take Gogo a long time to find him since she had a hunch that the robotics student would be hanging around Hiro's grave.

"So, you already found him but didn't tell us about it earlier?" Wasabi asked Gogo. "What have you two been doing all day?"

Gogo didn't saying anything and just popped her bubblegum, but her face turned red. She quickly moved away from Wasabi so she could stand next to Honey.

"Before I start, I want to apologize for my behavior last night, Fred," Tadashi began.

Fred grinned and wrapped an arm around his friend's neck. He seemed to bounced back to his usual, cheerful self.

"It's all in the past!" he said. "So, is this gonna take long, cuz I'm itchin' to take down more criminals soon!"

"That's the thing, Fred," Tadashi said. He took a deep breathe and sighed. His face showed a hint of regret. "I'm going to disband Big Hero 6."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((So yeah, this chapter pretty explains Tadashi's reason and urge to help people because he desperately NEEDS to be wanted, so he builds up the image that he's a kind, selfless person to hide his insecurities and weaknesses, and also his guilt for not being able to help and save people important to him (his parents, Hiro, Baymax, etc). This boy needs a hug.
> 
> Hmm, but what did he do to those three people and is he really okay? And would he really disband Big Hero 6 even though Abigail is still out there?
> 
> BTW, since I'll be working soon, chapter updates might be weekly instead, but we shall see.))


	15. Five Stages: (Un)Acceptance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tadashi makes a choice after realizing his failures as a supposed "hero".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((I deeply apologize that this took forever to update! I've been busy with temp work and other obligations, and I feel terrible for not continuing so much on this. :C ))

_**Earlier In the Day.** _

Tadashi unexpectedly kissed her. Gogo was so flabbergasted that she pulled away before the kiss can deepen further.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, nearly spitting out her bubblegum.

The room became cold all of a sudden. Tadashi stared at her like a confused child.

"I... I'm kissing you because I liked you," he confessed. He lowered his gaze to avoid her eyes. "Look, I know this crazy and messed up right now, but I've been thinking about you so much for a while now. And... I really want to be with you."

He rubbed his neck weakly. He thought kissing her seemed like a good idea earlier, but now everything went so wrong. 

"When you told me how I inspire you, I thought that maybe... you liked me," he said softly.

Gogo stared at him, dumbfounded. He wished she could say something to break this awkward silence.

"Oh, Tadashi," she sighed regretfully. "I'm so sorry, but... when I said those things, I didn't mean it like in a romantic sense. You're an amazing guy, but... I can't see myself with you."

Tadashi felt as though he was body was ripped to pieces and his heart stopped beating. He felt empty all over. Is he feeling disappointment or sadness?

"I'm sorry too," he said. He puts on a painful smile. "Shucks, I guess I acted rashly on this silly crush. I don't know what I was expecting to happen..."

"Tadashi," Gogo placed a hand on his shoulder and got him to look at her. "You are my friend and I'm really sorry to hurt you like this. But it wouldn't be fair to take advantage of your feelings at your current emotional state. Just... don't take this personally, okay? I care for you."

"I understand," he said sadly. He felt as though his heart was ready to collapse at any moment and he wanted to hold Gogo so badly, yet he also wants to respect her wishes even if he had to suffer in silence. "Don't worry about me. I'll get over this."

Gogo wasn't sure if Tadashi's being honest with himself but she doesn't feel like staying at his room anymore. She can't give him any false hopes. She excused herself and left so quickly she didn't see Tadashi reaching out a longing hand for her.

Tadashi stayed where he was and he continued feel as though his heart is being squeezed painfully. He tried to tell himself that his feelings for Gogo was merely infatuation and should accept the rejection.

_But this shouldn't hurt **this** much._

Trying to find something to clear his mind, he walked slowly downstairs to the kitchen to get himself a snack or a drink--whatever to make him forget Gogo's words. He was about to pull out a carton of milk when he heard his aunt behind him.

"Tadashi, we need to talk," she said suddenly.

He turned to see Cass standing in front of him and she's wearing a familiar, troubled expression on her face. It reminded him of the night she picked him and Hiro up from jail.

"Aunt Cass, who's watching the cafe?" he asked.

"Never mind that, I want to talk you about those strange papers that were posted on your walls in your room," she said firmly. "And I found your costume in the garage."

Tadashi groaned; this was the very last thing he wanted to avoid, his aunt discovering his secret and trying to stop him.

"When did you find out--"

"Earlier this morning when you didn't come home last night," Aunt Cass continued on. Her chest was heaving and she was on the verge of tears. "Tadashi, is this what have you been doing? Acting like a superhero and chasing criminals-- _this is not you at all!_ You're still a young man who's supposed to go to college with his friends!"

"Auntie, please understand..." Tadashi began but he was interrupted.

"No! I don't understand!" she cried angrily. "How could you do something so dangerous! You could have gotten killed! What were you thinking, you knucklehead!"

"I'm doing this because I want to protect the city!" Tadashi shouted in desperation.

"So what? I don't care what happens to it! I raised and took care of you and Hiro for ten years!" Cass ranted. "I promised your parents on their funeral I'd look after you both. But I failed Hiro... If something happened to you, I don't know what I would do."

Tears trickle down her face. She looks like a mess now.

"Even though I'm not your mother, you're still my boy," she whimpered, her shoulders shaking.

Tadashi pulled her into a comforting hug and rubbed her back.

"I know," he said softly. He felt so horrible for worrying his aunt like this, but a part of him wanted to continue his superhero job. Yet... after what everything that happened last night and earlier with his conversation with Gogo, he's not so sure if he's worthy being called a hero.

Cass hastily wiped her eyes and sniffled. "I know you still want to help people," she said, looking at him with a tiny smile. "But please don't overdo it. At least for me."

Tadashi thought for the longest time and his face was devoid of emotion. However, he slowly returned the smile.

"Okay, Auntie."

* * *

_**Currently.** _

"Disband Big Hero 6?" Honey repeated, her hand touching the side of her mouth. She wasn't the only one shocked at this news.

"But why?!" Fred demanded. He looked as though Tadashi had smacked him in the face. "Didn't we start this team to become superheroes?"

"No, I started this team because all of you volunteered to help me catch a masked criminal," Tadashi corrected him.

"But we haven't even apprehended Abigail yet," Wasabi protested. "You're just going to let her go free?"

Tadashi didn't answer. He just walked over to one of the bins and opened the lid so he could look at the microbots inside. This brief moment reminded him on the day he and his brother fistbump over Hiro's success building his invention before they head off to the showcase.

Gogo tried to get his attention; she look irritated for some reason. "Listen, Tadashi!" she snapped. She wondered if Tadashi's reasoning might have something to do with what happened in his bedroom... "If you have any shallow reasons for disbanding this team, I swear--"

"It has nothing to do with what you're thinking, Gogo!" Tadashi shot back. He frowned but he kept his head as possible. He looked back at the others, who are still waiting for his explanation. "The reason why I chose this... is because I'm tired trying to fight and protect something that's beyond my capabilities and limits. And I've made too many losses and I don't know how long I can keep this up."

He sighed and ran a hand over his face.

"But I'm not ready to give up this team yet," he said. "I still need to catch Abigail. And after I'm done with that, I'm retiring from the superhero business for good."

"Hey, man." Fred went over and playfully punched his arm. "I'm cool with it."

Honey placed a gentle hand on Tadashi's shoulder, who accepted it warmly.

"Even if we stop being Big Hero 6, we won't stop being your friends, Tadashi," she told him.

"Yeah, same here," Wasabi said, nodding. He was glad that Tadashi didn't blow up on them and is acting rationally.

Gogo placed her hips on her waist and looked at him. "So, any ideas about where to find Abigail?" she asked.

"I was thinking we should get some information from her accomplice," Tadashi said. "Krei's secretary."

"I can't believe she's working with Professor Callaghan's daughter when the professor hated Krei," Wasabi said, shaking his head in disbelief. "What's even her motive?"

Fred was about to say something but Wasabi stopped him.

"Taking over the world isn't a motive," he said. 

Fred then closed his mouth. He looked disappointed.

Honey nudged Tadashi's arm before taking a photo out from her purse which she and the others found at the old Krei Tech lab. "Tadashi, there's something you should see," she said nervously as she hand it over to him.

Tadashi stared at the photo for a long time. His face went pale and his hands shook while his brain tried to process the image he absorbed. The photo shows a picture of Baymax--wearing what appears to be broken red armor in his lower half of his body, and a red gauntlet in one of his arms. He appears to be deactivated and lying on the floor that seemed to be taken place back at the old Krei Tech lab.

Tadashi is confused why his robot is in the facility; as far as he could remember, he and Baymax had never been to that place before, and the inventor never made that kind of armor for Baymax as well. He finally found his voice while he tried to keep himself calm.

"Why does Krei have Baymax?" he demanded quietly.

"We don't know, Tadashi," Gogo said. "For all we know, this is probably not your Baymax at all. It could have been a different robot based on your robot's design. Maybe Krei build it--"

"That's impossible," Tadashi interrupted her. "All of documentation and schematics for building Baymax are backed up in my lab at SFIT, along with the programming. They were protected by a password only I would know."

He felt rage bubbling inside him. It was bad enough that he was irritated when Krei tried to steal Hiro's microbot in the showcase, but seeing his robot in Krei's lab had pushed him over the edge. 

"Looks like I have some questions to ask Mr. Krei," he said in a dangerous tone. First, he wants to know why he has a robot like Baymax; second, the location of his secretary since he will need her to tell him about Abigail's whereabouts.

Wasabi seems to read Tadashi's thoughts. "Whoa, hold up. We can't just waltz up to Krei..."

"And why not? Just how many more people should I allow to steal me and my brother's stuff?" Tadashi snapped.

He brushed past them and walked out the garage. Wasabi and Honey immediately tried to follow him, leaving the others behind. Gogo groaned in frustration, wringing her hands.

"That... that big, hardheaded dummy!" she growled. "He's going to land himself in jail if he tries to do anything to Krei!"

"Um, is it bad timing to ask what you've been doing all day after finding Tadashi?" Fred nervously asked. Gogo shot him daggers. "H-Hey, I was curious, since you didn't join us at SFIT later on!"

"Tadashi and I talked in his room, I left afterwards, and I just hung around in the SFIT library to avoid people," she replied indifferently. She was looking away from Fred for some odd reason, and there was a strange look in her face. Fred noticed it and he quickly deduced Gogo isn't telling him the entire truth.

"Did you guys... do something?" he pressed on. There was a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Don't be silly."

"Aha, so you and Tadashi _DID_ do something!" Fred's lips formed a wide grin. "Knew he would have the hots for you. I saw the way he looked at you a couple of times during our training..."

Suddenly, Gogo reached a hand out and slapped it over Fred's mouth to keep him quiet. The school mascot noticed how grim and serious her expression is.

"Just. Don't," she warned him. Chewing her gum slowly, she removed her hand from Fred's mouth and went over to sit on a nearby swivel chair. "Let's say Tadashi and I are not an official thing if that's what you're thinking. It's complicated."

Fred chuckled a bit and sat on the desk nearby. "That's a bummer, you two are so alike in ways."

"You seemed rather interested in this topic," Gogo commented.

"Tadashi's my biggest pal, I'm supposed to be concerned of his nonexistent love life," Fred replied. Then he began to blush a little and there was an air of melancholy in his tone. "Though it wasn't that nonexistent before..."

Gogo remembered all those strange comments and behavior Fred made whenever he's around Tadashi, and realization dawned upon her.

"Wait... you two... dated before?" she asked, her jaw dropped. It's starting to make sense; no guy would compliment Fred's questionable underwear recycling by calling it "both disgusting and awesome", except Tadashi--especially on that day of the showcase. She thought the inventor was just humoring the school mascot, but she realized his encouragement might have held a different depth.

Fred flustered. "It was one time only! Lasted only two weeks and it was kept as a secret from the school and everybody else!"

"Yeah, imagine how everybody would react seeing the brilliant robotics genius dating the smelly school mascot," Gogo said sarcastically.

"I'm not that smelly..." Fred mumbled.

Gogo became quiet. This news was so unexpected, it almost rivaled her surprised when she learned Fred is secretly wealthy.

"So, why did it end, if you don't mind me asking?" Gogo inquired. 

"Let's say it was a fling and it wasn't serious like Tadashi expected. We ended it on a good note and we're better as friends, anyway," Fred answered, shrugging. He then looked doubtful. "Still, I sometimes secretly wished I could hold him again like I used to. When you're in his arms, you feel like you're safe."

Gogo gave him a tiny smirk. "Hey, maybe it's not too late to try again. Besides, I think he would have a better luck in happiness with someone else rather than me."

"But I like someone else too!" Fred groaned, now thinking of Honey. "Maybe I could go for a threeway relationship...?"

Then they saw Tadashi, Wasabi, and Honey returning. Tadashi is holding the broken half of the Kabuki mask.

"Oh, changed your mind?" she asked.

"These two stopped me," Tadashi said, motioning towards Honey and Wasabi beside him. "I might have overreacted a little..."

"That's an understatement," Wasabi said.

Tadashi continued, "I'm not going to kill Krei! I just want to ask him questions."

"That can be deal with some other time," Wasabi told him. "The more important issue is getting his secretary to give us the location of Abigail."

Tadashi then placed the broken Kabuki mask on the table. He sat down and carefully removed the neurotransmitter with a few tools.

"What are you doing, Tadashi?" Honey asked while she and others crowd around him. "Wasabi and I saw you getting the mask from your room."

"I'm going to transfer the neurotransmitter to my helmet," the inventor replied without looking up. "I'm going to be use it to control the microbots, and they will help us catch Abigail."

"Good idea!" Fred exclaimed. "We got ourselves a formidable on our side. Not to mention, Abigail doesn't have any other weapons to use against us."

"She still can use explosives," Wasabi reminded him, thinking of how the woman almost buried them with her bombs.

"But are you really okay using Hiro's invention?" Honey asked again.

Tadashi thought of his brother and sighed. "Hiro would have wanted me to use them."

Gogo walked over to him and touched his other shoulder. "At least they won't be misused by someone else," she said.

Tadashi reluctantly nodded and remained quiet. The others watched him placed the neurotransmitter into his red helmet. Then Tadashi took a deep breathe and donned on his helemt.

Suddenly, all the the plastic bins began to shake violently. The microbots rose out and began to move in wild, fluid motions. They crawled all around the garage, zipped around the group's fit and formed a tall, column in the middle of the garage. With a single thought, Tadashi used his mind to make the microbots form into another structure--a giant hand like Hiro had made at the exhibition hall. Then Tadashi had the microbots formed into a Godzilla-like structure and made it let out a silent roar.

"Whoa, so cool!" Fred screamed with delight.

"I had my doubts of using the same weapon that almost killed us," Wasabi said, nodding with agreement. "But I guess this isn't a bad idea."

Tadashi removed his helmet and the microbots collapsed into a pile. He was grinning.

"Now we can catch Abigail and bring my brother to justice," Tadashi said. He thought of his aunt and how he promised her that he wouldn't worry her again. Although, it would be a shame to disband Big Hero 6, especially since he has the tech that could be useful to stop criminals...

"Before we do that, Tadashi, you have to promise us one thing," Wasabi said seriously. "You have to promise that once we find Abigail... you cannot kill her."

Tadashi's face darkened and he narrowed his eyes. "And why not? She killed my brother and destroyed Baymax... Besides, you have a little sibling yourself, Wasabi. Supposed she tried to go after her--"

"Don't bring my sister into this," Wasabi warned him. "I know you're upset about what she said about Hiro that night... but we didn't sign up for what you tried to did to her."

 _I never asked you guys to kill her,_  Tadashi thought coldly, feeling so dead and empty inside as soon he remembered that night.  _I would have done the deed myself without getting anyone to do it for me. It was personal._  He almost had Abigail, why did his friends had to stop him? If he had killed Abigail, then Baymax wouldn't be...

He stopped and forced his regrets off his head. Just thinking about it won't change the past. However, he will not make the same mistake again.

"It won't happen again," Tadashi muttered, looking away.

Wasabi looked relieved. However, he assumed Tadashi was agreeing with him.

Tadashi and the others returned the mircobots back inside their bin. The group then decided to split up and leave but they planned to meet up later tonight before they go to find Krei's secretary. Tadashi noticed how oddly close Gogo and Wasabi walked next to each other when they left the garage, and he figured out why Gogo rejected him.

 _So, she just liked someone else,_ he thought bitterly. _Unbelievable... I should've known..._

He left the garage as well and went upstairs to his home. He saw his aunt, after closing the cafe for the day, sitting on her chair watching the news on TV. The reporter was talking about a mysterious triple murder where two men, nicknamed the "Banzai Brothers", and a male college student who were all found dead in the back alley of a restaurant. According to the police, the three men have been electrocuted and suffered bruises on their bodies as though someone had brutally beaten them up.

"What is this world coming to," Aunt Cass sighed as she stroke the top of Mochi's head, who was curled up on her lap.

Tadashi watched the news a little longer before climbing up the stairs to his room. If someone had seen him, they would have noticed a dark, satisfied smile on his face.

Tadashi flopped onto his bed and stared at the ceiling. Memories run throughout his head; the night he lost Hiro to the fire, Baymax exploding before his eyes, Gogo rejecting his kiss, his aunt crying, the terrified screams of the men he killed in cold blood... Just what is he exactly fighting for? No matter how much he tried to do something good or fix something, it blows up on his face. As each day passes, he finds himself cursing his bad luck and everyone else around him since nothing goes right for him. He wondered what would his brother Hiro think of him now, seeing how Tadashi had failed to save him in time. His chest tightened but he forced himself to numb the pain.

"I guess I don't have what it takes to be a hero," he muttered to himself. He looked over to Hiro's memorial picture at his bedside table and took it. He stared at his brother's face for a long time and he came to a grim decision.

He then tore the photograph of Hiro in two and threw it to the floor.

"So be it then," he said in a dead tone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Sorry that this is a slow chapter, but things will be picked up later in the next chapter! But yes, this chapter confirmed that Tadashi just committed murder. And what decision did he just made at the end of the chapter? HMMMM.))


	16. Abundant Generosity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Big Hero 6 tries to stop Tadashi from escaping the city. Meanwhile, Abigail has plans to upgrade another Baymax robot...

Night finally came and three members of Big Hero 6 stood on top of a tall shopping mall overlooking the city. Gogo, Honey, and Wasabi were waiting patiently for someone while the cold breeze brush against their body. A familiar blue and orange figure suddenly jumped on top of the roof to join with the others.

"Well, it's about time you showed up!" Wasabi angrily said.

"Sorry, I had to grab a bite to eat!" Fred burped under his suit. "Can't work as a superhero on an empty stomach. Mmm, burritos~"

"You were late for half an hour," Wasabi reminded him.

"Did anyone managed to call Tadashi?" Gogo asked. "I couldn't reach him on his communicator."

"Maybe it was damaged and he didn't know it?" Honey suggested.

"He still should have remembered we're supposed to meet up here tonight," Gogo said. "Let's go fetch him."

"He might still be on his way here," Wasabi said. He looked conflicted to leave their spot even though he's worried about their friend.

Honey is staring at the distance. "Guys, did you hear that?"

Everyone turned to where she is pointing. The sound of police sirens was heard in the distance, coming straight from the neighborhood where the Lucky Cat cafe is located. The group realized something is wrong.

"Let's move!" Gogo ordered. Her dark visor slid down, completely concealing her face. Wasabi and Honey's visors did the same as well.

Big Hero 6 then dashed towards the location, leaping over rooftops with such ferocious speed. They stopped and stood on top of a store, hidden from sight, when a horrible scene reached their eyes. 

The green truck that belong to Aunt Cass was lying on top of a smashed police car outside the Lucky Cat cafe.

A worried crowd has formed outside the cafe, talking among themselves. The superhero team tried to find Tadashi and their aunt in the crowd but they found the latter sitting on a tabled near the window inside the cafe, being interrogated by a female police officer. Cass looked pale with shock and distraught. Gogo, for some reason, was particularly surprised to see the female officer.

"Why is she doing here... ?" she groaned under her breath.

"What's going on here?" Fred asked in a worried tone. "Should one of us go and see what exactly happened?"

Gogo, Wasabi, and Honey then looked at him.

A minute later, Fred entered the cafe, without his kaiju costume. Aunt Cass was relieved to see him.

"Fred, you're here!" Cass cried.

"Miss Cass, what happened outside? Where's Tadashi?" Fred asked her.

"That's what we're trying to figure out," the police officer said. "Are you a friend of Tadashi Hamada?"

"Y-yeah," Fred nodded reluctantly. "Is he in trouble?"

"He could be, but do you mind answering a few questions for us? I'm Detective June Park."

She pulled out a bag of what looked like to be damaged microbots. "These were retrieved from the old Krei Tech lab that was destroyed several days ago this afternoon. We called Mr. Alistair Krei and he identified them for us and said they were microbots, built by Tadashi Hamada's little brother, whom I presumed to have died in a fire accident at the exhibition hall of SFIT."

"Hiro built them, alright," Fred replied. "But what's this got to do with Tadashi?" 

Detective Park turned to her after putting away the bag. "We had a desk officer from the station telling us that Mr. Hamada phoned him a few weeks ago about these same 'microbots', and he claimed they were stolen and used by a man in a kabuki mask. We assumed it must be same suspect who started the fire. However, when I arrived here to ask him a few questions... Tadashi Hamada suddenly fled."

Fred's eyes widened.

"What do you mean _fled?_ "

"As soon we arrived, Mr. Hamada was in the garage and he put on this strange helmet," Park stopped so she could remember what happened next. The images were still fresh on her mind, but she still couldn't believe the things she just witnessed. "I don't know what exactly happened, but he had the tiny robots fly out from these trash bins and attacked me and nearly Miss Hamada here. He even smashed my car, but nobody got seriously hurt."

However, Park began to rub her shoulder and winced in pain. Then she continued, "By the time I called for backup, he escaped."

Fred became silent as he absorbed all this information. He felt as though all air was removed his lungs. He saw Aunt Cass's face contorted with pain.

"You wouldn't know where Mr. Hamada would have gone to, would you?" Park asked Fred. She wore a serious expression. "I know he may be your friend, but friendship shouldn't be an excuse to protect a possible suspect who may be responsible for the SFIT fire and the destruction of Krei Tech facility."

"My nephew is NOT a criminal!" Aunt Cass protested through angrily. "He's a good boy who just wanted to help people!"

"Miss Hamada," Park began but then she was interrupted by a police officer who hurried inside the cafe.

"Park! We got the masked suspect heading east into Union Square!" he shouted. "Backup is requested!"

Park immediately nodded. Before she could join the officer, she turned to Aunt Cass and Fred.

"We'll keep in touch," she told them.

"Wait, your last name Park sounds familiar," Fred suddenly said.

Park smiled a little and shrugged. "I have a little sister who attends the same college where Mr. Hamada attend," she said. "Today was my first time meeting him since he's friends with her. Sang-hwa is her real name, but according to her close friends, she's known as..."

"Gogo. I was the one who gave her that nickname," Fred sheepishly smiled.  _Well, that would explain where Gogo's sense of justice came from,_  he thought with mild amusement.

"... So you're the hobo nitwit she mentioned a lot," Park muttered with a deadpan stare. "She thought you lived under a bridge."

As soon the officers leave, Cass went to the back of the cafe, and Fred heard her breaking down in tears. Realizing what he must do, he quickly left the cafe and joined the others in a small alley in the shadows. 

"Well, what happened?" Gogo asked. "Where's Tadashi?"

Fred became quiet. He didn't know what to tell them as he quickly puts on his costume.

"I think he's in trouble," he said as he donned the top head of his kaiju suit.  

* * *

Down at Union Square, Tadashi used the microbots to race through the city while the police cars chased after him. His heart was pounding and his thoughts were all jumbled up inside his head. Right now, the only thing he could think of is leaving San Fransokyo and not be caught.

He remembered what happened earlier in his home when that pesky detective came by... 

* * *

_It was after dinner when Aunt Cass showed Detective June Park into the garage where Tadashi is, the inventor had just put on the dark clothing of his supersuit. He had to lie to the detective that it was his special "exercise suit". Cass then left the two of them alone._

_Then Park was asking him questions about the SFIT showcase fire, his phone call to the police station about the mysterious man in a Kabuki mask, and the destruction of the old Krei Tech lab._

_At first, Tadashi wanted to her the truth about Abigail Callaghan, and him starting a superhero team with his friends from college. But then he remembered how useless the police were when they didn't believe him or find out clues about the fire way earlier._

_Then he saw Park opened opened a lid of one of the bins._

_"I thought you said a masked man stole your brother's microbots," she said suspiciously. "But how come they're right here?"_

_Tadashi became silent. His eyes spotted his helmet with neurotransmitter sitting on the desk. He wondered how fast he can reach for it._

_Then he burst into a low chuckle._

_"What are you implying here, Miss Detective?" he asked, his voice so hollow. "That I killed my own brother and stole his invention so I can moonlight as a criminal?"_

_"I never said that," Park said. "Why don't we go down to the station and you can tell us more--"_

_"It might as well be true, about me being responsible for Hiro's death," Tadashi interrupted her. "Sure, I meant well for trying to push him to use his brains properly, but look where that led him." He gave her a dark, regretful look. "I am such a lousy brother."_

_Then he ran for his helmet and ducked behind the bins. Park tried to catch him but as soon Tadashi donned on his headgear, the microbots sot out from the bins and knocked her down. Then he used the microbots to break down the garage door._

_Aunt Cass came down after hearing the noise and she nearly had a heart attack when he saw her nephew standing on top of the rising microbots. Tadashi felt guilty for letting his aunt see him like this but there's no point going back. He saw Park running out of the garage, and raised her gun at him._

_"Freeze! Stay where you are!" she ordered him._

_Tadashi rolled his eyes and knocked her backwards, her gun flying out of her hand. She was then smacked against Aunt Cass' truck and she fell to the ground. She struggled to move, grunting in pain, when she saw the microbots lifting her police car above her head. She became paralyzed in fear and images of her little sister, whom she might never see again, flashed before her eyes. Tadashi was about to smash it down on Park when he heard Aunt Cass yell at him to stop._

_Tadashi look at her and saw fear in her eyes. That was it, the moment he no longer felt worthy to be this woman's nephew again._

_He dropped the police car on top of the truck, and Park was lucky enough to get away in time. Seeing that there is no time to get his carbon-fiber armor, Tadashi turned to leave instead._

_"Tadashi, come back!" Aunt Cass begged her nephew as she watches him leave the neighborhood._  

* * *

Civilians nearby gasped and ran away when the mysterious figure wearing a dark visored helmet and his strange tiny robots came near them. It was so difficult to maneuver through the busy streets and avoid many people and obstacles; Tadashi realized he had no other choice and he didn't care anymore.

He grabbed a parked car with the microbots and tossed them at the police cars behind him. He didn't look back to see what damaged he cause and forced himself to not listen to the crash and the terrified screams of passserbys. He leaped over an incoming cable car with grace and he was soon at the intersection of Union Square. He saw more police cars waiting for him, keeping him moving any further. He stopped in the middle of the intersection and stood on top of misshaped pillar of microbots, trying to find another exit. He heard a police helicopter flying above him.

"You are under arrest!" he heard a police officer calling out to him. "Drop your weapon... whatever it is... and put your hands in the air!"

Tadashi scanned the crowds, policemen and civilian alike, below him. He was breathing heavily inside his helmet and felt his own panic and anger rising inside him. Why couldn't they just leave him alone?

"Stay back!" he warned them. He held out a hand a wave of microbots slid forward and violently forced the police cars aside, forming an exit for him.

The policemen raised their guns and opened fire. However, Tadashi summoned a spherical wall of microbots to protect him. Then he glided around the intersection, his shield still up,  and knocked down the policemen and threw them around like ragdolls. He didn't care how many he injured or killed. Nothing else matters to him him now. Rage and desperation clouded his thoughts.

After all officers were taken down, he remembered the police helicopter flying above him. He shot a microbot pillar up into the sky and grabbed the rotorcraft before it can escape. He swings it around and threw it towards a billboard of a nearby building. The pilot and police inside braced for impact when a pink chemical goo suddenly exploded before them. The helicopter crashed into the soft, bouncy goo which thankfully prevented it from crashing into the billboard.

Tadashi recognized the chemical concoction and he spun around to see his friends jumping into the scene. They all look horrified at the mess and destruction he caused.

"Tadashi! What are you doing?!" Wasabi cried. "Why are you doing this?!"

The inventor slowly shook his head; none of his friends will ever understand his feelings... He's not good enough to be part of Big Hero 6 anymore since he committed so many unforgivable acts and dirtied his hands and soul in the process... He's no longer the perfect, golden boy they once go to school with anymore.

He's now a shadow of his former self, he's like a ghost.

 **_"Stay away from me!"_ **  Tadashi snarled.

He sent a wave microbots at them, trying to keep his friends back but they kept coming. He saw one of Gogo's discs flying towards his head and moved just in time before it hit his helmet. She was trying to knock out the neurotransmitter.

With another wave, he tried to hit her but she missed his attacks thanks to her speed. He saw Honey was about to throw a couple of her blue chem-balls at him but she stopped. He knew she was hesitant to attack her friend. Tadashi made a menacing move toward her. Honey, in her panic, threw the chem-balls and they missed him.

"Fire Breath!" Fred then blew a blast of flames right at the chem-balls instead of Tadashi.

The chem-balls released a blue fog-like smoke which covered the entire intersection. Tadashi 

Tadashi immediately formed a wall to protect him from the fire. He began to feel a little sick in his stomach just smelling the smoke...

The four friends tried to find Tadashi through the smoke but he managed to escape.

* * *

Tadashi rushed along the street until he came to the port of San Fransokyo Bay. He looked over his shoulder to see his friends relentlessly ran after him, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, as he neared the cold, dark water. Faint sirens of more police cars were approaching fast. He had to think quick.

"Tadashi, wait!" Honey called after him. _  
_

_"Tadashi is gone!!"_  he screamed at them and they stopped in their tracks. He panted heavily before suddenly bursting out a heartbreaking, twisted laughter that brought shivers down his friends' spine. "It's natural that a dead person should have a different name that fits his crimes. Say Fred..."

He looked towards the school mascot, a creepy smile broke across his lips. "What was that name you wanted to give to Abigail not so long ago? Something like... _**Yokai?**_ "

Gogo stepped forward and lifted her visor so can see him clearly.

"Tadashi, come back to us," she said. "You are our best friend and you found Big Hero 6. ... Is this what Hiro would have wanted?"

The inventor stared out to the layer of fog above the bay and then glanced down at the microbots at his feet. Then he turned back to his friends.

"My brother is _dead_ ," he hissed with venom.

He then took a cautious step forward and his friends tried to run after him again. The microbots sunk into the bay, but he's standing just several feet above the water. This is good enough. Without stopping and looking back, he moved across the bay. He doesn't know where he's going but at least he'll be far away from everyone.

His friends stopped on the pier and they all sadly watched Tadashi disappear into the fog. They were too far behind to catch up to him.

"I don't understand..." Honey said weakly. "Tadashi..."

"The police will be here, we have to leave," Gogo told the others. "Move out."

"We can't go, he's still out there!" Fred cried. "We... we have to go after him!"

"Move... out," Gogo repeated. Wasabi noticed how disappointed and broken she sounded, he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

When the police arrived at the pier, they found out that Tadashi Hamada has escaped from them and the four mysterious superheroes had disappeared as well.

* * *

Days ago, after finding out Abigail is planning to rebuild the mysterious Baymax robot, Krei's assistant secretly had transferred the both of them to Akuma Island where Abigail can work on her weapon without being discovered.

Deep inside the giant facility, in a secret room right under abandoned lab which was once used for testing the portals, the daughter of the late Professor Callaghan is working.

Abigail had removed the broken red armor pieces and the soft vinyl shell from the deactivated Baymax robot. She even started making 3D-printed carbon-fiber armor for her ultimate battlebot as she made tweaks on the endoskeletal figure. She was greatly impressed over how sophisticated and advanced this robot's technology is built and she quietly complimented the creator for his work under her breath. Sitting on top of table is a USB containing old footages that seemed to have been recorded by this robot and were carefully retrieved from the projector on Baymax's chest. Next to the USB is a red chip with a drawing of a skull which has been found inside the access port.

A thought keeps bugging Abigail about where did this robot came from and why did it enter through the same portal she escaped from; it felt as though it was fate had brought this robot to her.

Speaking of which, she wondered if the engineers and technicians she kidnapped have already finished adding the final touches to the new portal by now. Soon, she will get to see him again...

"Dad," she whispered sadly. "Just wait a little longer. I promise, we'll meet each other soon."

As she adjusted the joints of the legs and arms of the endoskeleton, she heard a door opening behind her. Krei's secretary pushed Hiro Hamada into the room, who looked smaller and skinnier ever since he was kidnapped. Hiro's hands were tied together by handcuffs to prevent him from fighting back and he was shoved into the chair.

"Ow, don't be rough," he grumbled.

"Hello, Hiro," Abigail stopped working and turned to face the young boy. She puts on a fake sweet smile for him. "I hope you didn't miss me when I was gone."

"Not really," Hiro said, narrowing his eyes. "I expected you to never come back."

"Now, Hiro," Abigail warned him in a dangerous tone as she placed her hands on her hips. "You know if something were to happen to me, you and the rest of the engineers and technicians would slowly waste away in this island and would never be found."

Hiro snorted, looking away from her. "I don't care what happens to me. My brother's gone..."

Both Abigail and Krei's secretary share a look; apparently, Hiro was still under the assumption that his big brother died in the fire at the SFIT showcase, and neither women are in no hurry to tell him the truth.

Abigail walked over to Hiro and placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it roughly.

"You may not care about what happens to you," she said to him, "but you WILL care about what I'm going to tell you. If you refuse to help me again, I will find your aunt and burn her down like what my father did to your brother."

Hiro's eyes widened and the mental image of his aunt, his only family he has left, going up in flames made his blood turned to ice. As much as he hated working with this woman, the young boy had no other choice. He cannot lose someone else again.

"I'll do it," he gulped.

Abigail smirked and ruffled his hair much to his disgust.

"What a good boy," she said. "You can start helping me right now. Release him, Candace."

Krei's secretary takes out a small key and removed the handcuffs from Hiro. The latter rubbed his sore wrists as he looked over to the robotic figure in the back of the room. He immediately recognized it.

"Is that Baymax? How did you get him?" he demand. "That's Tadashi's project, he worked so hard on it!"

"That's none of your business," Abigail snapped at him. "You're going to help me upgrade and build the biggest battlebot around. You're a boy, surely you might like that."

Hiro felt anger at her defiling his brother's memory by misusing Baymax. He wanted to refuse her offer but he remembered her threat. He still kept throwing her a dirty glare though Abigail ignored it.

"Now, what weapons shall we give to dearest Baymax?" she asked him. She paused and chuckled. "You know, after we're finished with him... 'Baymax' doesn't seem to fit this guy."

She turned to look at the endoskeleton, picturing a huge, heartless robot with dark armor.

"Since we're rebuilding him on this island, 'Akumax' is rather appropriate, don't you think?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Once again, sorry for another long wait!
> 
> Now that Tadashi has abandoned Big Hero 6, what would the others do now? And it looks like Hiro is alive after all and is forced to work Abigail.))


	17. Abigail and Hiro

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another side of the story, revealing what has been going with Abigail and Hiro during the weeks after the fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Again, sorry for the long update. This chapter is mostly Hiro and Abigail-centric, and in flashback sequence.))

Days passed, Hiro Hamada continued living inside the cold facility of Akuma Island ever since Abigail Callaghan brought him here after he was forced to help her build more microbots. Secretly, he was glad of the change of scenery; he had been trapped inside an abandoned building for weeks and no matter how many times he tried to escaped, Abigail had the microbots catch him every time.

* * *

_**Flashback.** _

When Hiro first woke up the day after the exhibition hall at SFIT was burned down, he found himself inside the home of Professor Callaghan, miraculously spared from the fire that destroyed the showcase. He was laying down on the couch and his head felt heavy and sore, as though he had been knocked out. Abigail had tended his injury the best she can but Hiro noticed how exhausted and lifeless her face appeared. At first, he didn't know who she but he remembered seeing her standing next to Callaghan while the showcase burned around them. He was even surprised to learn she was the professor's daughter.

"He talked about you once..." Hiro weakly told her as Abigail carefully unwrapped the bandages around his head.

Abigail didn't reply; she stood up so she can dump the bandages in a nearby trashcan. Hiro noticed she was wearing the neurotransmitter headband and he remembered the microbots.

"Why did you have that?" he asked, frowning. "I built that... m-my microbots where are they?"

Once again, he received no answer. Abigail was facing away from.

Hiro jogged his memory while his head gingerly touched his tender head. He then recalled the reason he ran into the exhibition hall. He immediately shot up in fear.

"Tadashi!" he cried. "Where's my big brother? I was supposed to find him!"

Abigail finally spoke in a dead tone, "He probably died in the explosion along with my father." Then she suddenly tossed a familiar baseball cap at Hiro's lap. "You were holding that so I brought it along."

"Explosion? I don't understand..." Hiro asked, slowly shaking his head in confusion. He stared his brother's hat and he found himself ready to break at any moment. "T-Tadashi wanted to save Callaghan. He... he should have lived."

"That was his mistake," Abigail said coldly.

Hiro snapped. He made an angry cry and threw himself at her. However, he was suddenly pulled back by the microbots that had been hiding behind the couch the entire time. He continued to glare at the woman.

"Take that back!" he shouted as tears roll down his face. He saw his brother's face in his mind's eye and he remembered his last words; how Tadashi put the safety of others before him, and was willing to help them. And to see this woman insulting Tadashi like that...

Abigail stared at him with a strange smile on her lips.

"I too lost someone important to me, so I understand your pain," she said. "Unfortunately, I can't let you go since you saw my dad trying to steal your invention."

"You mean he was the one who started the fire?!" Hiro gasped. "Why would he want them?"

"I really don't know the answer, but I think I found a good use for your microbots," Abigail said with a shrug. Then she kneel in front of Hiro. "And here's another thing, you can't go home again since the whole city believes you perished in the fire. You might as well start a new life with me."

"I'd rather end your life," Hiro growled, trying to free himself from the microbots' grip.

Abigail wasn't intimidated.

"Why don't we make a deal?" she suggested, standing up. "You help me, and when the time comes right, I'll let you go and you return home to your remaining family."

"Like I'd help you!" Hiro spat. "Your dad killed my brother!"

"You don't have any other choice, Hiro Hamada. You're going to help me build more of these microbots, unless..." Then her lips formed a dark smile. "Something bad happens to your aunt and friends too."

Hiro stopped and became terrified. "You can't--" he begged in a tiny voice. "Please, don't hurt Aunt Cass. And my friends."

"I won't lay a finger on them unless you agree to my offer," Abigail said. She placed a hand on Hiro's shoulder and forced him to look at her. "What's your answer, Hiro?"

* * *

Hiro was then transferred to an abandoned warehouse near the piers and he spent the next several weeks building microbots for Abigail. It was a slow and difficult process at first because he didn't have the notes of his invention's schematics, and they were all in saved in his computers back at his home. Fortunately, he remembered some of the details of the tech and he was brilliant enough to explain them to Abigail about how the microbots were built and function. Even Abigail had managed to kidnap Krei's secretary when the woman paid a visit to Callaghan's funeral. Candace the secretary was willing to provide Abigail and Hiro the materials needed to create the microbots as long her life was spared.

"I might still need you for further uses," Abigail told her while Hiro tried to work on the complicated 3D printer machine that would print out the microbots. "I'm going to need you to provide me some valuable information. Nothing like money though. Just some papers and blueprints about Project Silent Sparrow."

"Why do you want them?" Krei's secretary asked. "That project has been abandoned ever since the accident at Akuma Island. And getting those kind of files won't be easy."

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Abigail waved a hand. "You're close to Alistair, I'm sure you'll know how to get them without letting him know."

"You and your father have been very distant to him after all the trouble he went to rescue you from the portal," Candace said, narrowing her eyes behind her glasses.

"He only cared about himself," Abigail sneered. She remembered her father's about him months ago. "He abandoned me since I was just a setback to him."

"Abigail--"

"Unless you want to personally get to know my microbots..." At this moment, the microbots creepily crawl around the secretary's feet. "... I suggest you follow my orders."

Krei's secretary gulped in fear, but she stood tall.

"I'll be helping you," she said. "But only because you're still my friend. But on one condition... Leave Alistair out of this."

Abigail chuckled, "Calm down, I'm not going after him."

Hiro was listening to their conversation and he grimly knew, through the tone of her voice, Abigail was lying.

"Now, about the names of those people who are responsible for bringing me back..."

* * *

"So, we got ourselves an intruder?" Hiro asked in a bored voice. He was sitting in front of a computer inside a small room with no exits for him to escape.

Abigail had showed up in his room, wearing her new attire: dark clothes with a Kabuki mask on her hand. Hiro could see the outline of the neurotransmitter headband inside the mask.

"He and his friend got away from me before I can catch him," she said. She looked livid. "I don't know how he managed to do it, but he shut down the machine."

"Oooh, that means no more microbots being built then," Hiro said, a hint of sass in his tone.

"You're going to fix it immediately!" Abigail snarled at him.

Krei's secretary stepped forward. "Calm down, Abigail. There are more important issues at hand, that boy could have seen or heard us what we're doing. He might even go to the police."

"The police won't believe him," Abigail snorted. She crossed her arms and think carefully. "Though we might have to move somewhere else just to be safe. And we can't use my home."

Hiro lowered Tadashi's baseball cap on his head so his eyes doesn't meet hers.

"Here's my suggestion: give yourself up," he said.

"You little--!!" Abigail was about to smack him but Krei's secretary stopped her. As she was pushed outside the room, Abigail made one dirty remark she knows will hurt Hiro. "It's a good thing your brother died, because he won't come to rescue you!"

Hiro's head snapped up, rage and pain flashed in his eyes. He stood up and slammed door at Abigail's face but she didn't care. Sooner or later, she's going to make him fix the machine whether he wants to or not. She then locked his door and walked away, her nostrils flared.

Inside the room, Hiro curled up on his cot and tried in vain to suppress his sobs. Though tears began rolling down his face as he clutched his brother's hat close to him as though he was afraid of losing it.

"Tadashi..." he whimpered as he continued to cry alone.

* * *

"That was uncalled for," Krei's secretary said while she kept up with Abigail. "While I'm surprised that Tadashi Hamada is actually alive, Hiro still believes he died. And we need to keep it that way if we don't want him to rebel against us."

Abigail placed the Kabuki mask on her face and snatched the files from Candace's hands. "Are these all the files and blueprints of the portals?" she asked.

"Yes, including the third one at the old Krei Tech laboratory further down from here," Candace answered. "We could transfer the machine, the experts you've kidnapped, and other evidence over there for now if we act quickly."

"I was thinking of somewhere else..." Abigail muttered. Building a new portal from scratch won't be easy, but it is possible to fix a broken one in a place where she'd be less likely to get caught. And there're convenient portals at a certain island which she hasn't seen for a while. 

* * *

When she finally got enough microbots built, Abigail carried her prisoners all the way to Akuma Island and locked them inside separate steel rooms, one for Hiro and one for the Krei Tech engineers and technicians. She was in a bad mood. She had to chase a group of meddling college kids, one of them being Hiro's brother, through the streets of San Fransokyo before their van sunk into the dark, cold waters of the bay. She was almost worried these kids may have seen her hideout, but she felt confident that they drowned and her secret kept safe.

Yet, she lashed out her frustrations on the engineers by making them work on the portal which her pod had entered and got lost inside during the transportation testing. While she no longer gets nightmares of her experience being trapped inside the portal dimension, she still shivered with discomfort whenever her mind brought it up. The engineers managed to get it functioning again but they had to keep it shut off at all times before it starts sucking everything in before imploding.

Abigail was pleased with this. She could use the portal to destroy Krei and his work after all the things he had done to her. This was her father's plan.

She had discovered what her father had been doing down in the basement when she returned home on the night he died. On the walls were plans, detailing what his revenge should go but for some reason it fell short since he seemed to be lacking a certain key to make his scheme come to fruition. Still, she learned that Callaghan wanted to give Alistair Krei a taste of his own medicine for putting her in danger and ruining her life.

Her father was willing to endanger a man's life, just for her sake. Abigail knew her old self wouldn't approve but that brave, innocent pilot was gone; she would Krei pay for his arrogance.

* * *

Abigail usually left the island on some days to get rid of evidence of her crimes and her old life. One night, she decided to stop by the old Krei Tech lab where the third portal was secretly build to rescue her. There inside the old room, she found something sitting on the floor and propped up against the third portal that had caught her by surprise. It was a marshmallow-like robot, similar to the one Tadashi Hamada had with him on the day the two intruded into the warehouse. The only difference was it wearing broken pieces of armor and it was deactivated. She was shocked and curious where it came from, and why it was doing here inside the lab.

She found the video of the security cameras that were recorded during the time she was saved. She watched her screaming and crying self being carried out of the room and just seconds afterwards, one of the engineers alerted Krei that something else was coming through the portal. Then she saw that robot's lifeless body flying into the room before the video ended right there.

"Why would Alistair leave this robot behind?" she wondered out loud as she approached the soft robot. "Surely he'd be interested to know where it come from... And why did it look like that one robot that's with that Hamada boy?"

She cautiously tap the head and vinyl body, trying to activate it. Her finger randomly pressed the chest hard when something happened. She stared in disbelief as video screen began to display on the robot's stomach. She watched the footage for a couple of minutes before she suddenly punched the robot's chest. The display screen came to an abrupt stop before shutting off.

Abigail's heart was hammering and she was seething in anger, but there were tears in her eyes.

She decided to add some new changes to her father's plan.

Abigail dismantled some parts from the portal, though she left the ring structure alone. As for the mysterious robot, she moved it back to her original hideout so she can retrieve it later.

 _Who knows?_ she thought. _It might have some useful purposes for me one day._

* * *

Back in her old house, Abigail checked through her dad's laptop which he used to write in his research when he worked on Project Silent Sparrow. She found what was looking for relating the portals of Project Silent Sparrow. To her annoyance, it was written in Japanese and it her a while to decipher it; when she finished reading it, she finally found a spark that would bring her life back.

She returned to Akuma Island immediately. Giving them a brief explanation of her new plan, Abigail used the microbots to take down the working portal much to the confusion to the horrified engineers and technicians. Then with the parts from both the first and third portal, began to build a fourth portal.

"Miss Callaghan, please! This idea is impossible!" one of the experts cried. "Mr. Krei couldn't even achieve it so he had to settle for instant teleportation!"

"Alistair also said that teleportation was impossible and science fiction, but he made it happen," Abigail said slowly, giving them a death glare. Then within minutes, she finally set up a new portal. She couldn't have done it without Hiro's invention. "You make sure this works properly."

Then she left the lab without another word.

* * *

 _"You ungrateful little brat!!"_ Abigail snarled as she the microbots pulled Hiro out from one vents leading to outside the facility. This was the third time this week Hiro made attempts to escape. While it's futile to leave the island without some mode of transportation, Abigail was losing patience with the young genius.

She raised him up high by his legs, letting him helplessly dangle upside-down.

"I spared your life and gave you a new purpose, and this how you repay me!" she shouted at him. However, Hiro glared at her in defiance.

"I refuse to build more microbots for you!" he shouted back. "I didn't invent them so you could abuse them! Tadashi inspired me to make them!"

"Tadashi this, Tadashi that-- I'm sick of you talking about him!"

Abigail threw Hiro aside and he slid against the floor until he smack hard against a wall. He groaned in pain. He noticed his brother's cap had fallen off from his head and before he could reach for it, Abigail snatched it.

"G-give that back, it's all what I had left of him!" Hiro begged. He looked so desperate and it amused Abigail.

"I don't think so, I'll just keep this close to me to keep it safe," she said.

Hiro jumped to his feet and tried to grab the hat back.

"Give it back to me! Give me back my brother!" Hiro screamed.

His last words struck a nerve. Abigail slapped him and he fell back, his cheek stinging with pain. Then she grabbed him by the front of his shirt and forced him to look at her.

"You'll continue to do what I say or you'll never get your brother's hat again," she threatened him.

Hiro shuddered but he swallowed his pride. He'll behave like a good boy but he's already making plans to stop her. When he returned to his room, Hiro secretly began to make a small neurotransmitter headpiece that would be an advantage against Abigail's microbots.

* * *

"You were cruel to that boy," Krei's secretary told Abigail over the phone. The latter was in the basement of her home, cleaning up all remaining evidence of her dad's schemes before she leaves the house forever.

"He deserved it, for being a whiny baby," Abigail said.

Ever since the night of the fire, she had been slightly jealous that Hiro's brother managed to survive one time while her father could not. It felt unfair to her and she couldn't help feeling vindictive towards the young Hamada boy.

"The both of you lost someone important, surely you could understand his pain a little?" the secretary said.

"Just because we have something in common doesn't mean we're going to be friends," Abigail snapped. "Once my plan is finished, I have no further use for him. He'll go back to his family."

"I'm surprised you're willing to keep that promise for him."

"I am a woman of my own word," Abigail said darkly. Then she decided to change the subject. "By the way, did you have any information about Tadashi's robot invention?"

"I do, though I don't understand why would you need to know that."

Abigail was about to reply when she heard someone moving upstairs. Thinking it was a burglar, she hung up her phone before going up to inspect. When she discovered Tadashi Hamada, still alive and is watching an old video of Project Silent Sparrow, she lost it and knocked him out.

* * *

**_Today._ **

Hiro continued to quietly followed Abigail's orders by designing and building the weapons for Akumax (he thought the new nickname for Baymax was ridiculous) with help from some of the old computers in one of the labs that still worked. Abigail worked alongside so she can supervise his progress.

Hiro suggested a rocket fist attack; powered up, its glove can shoot out from the hand and smash holes into anything no matter how far they are. Realizing the Akumax might need to get somewhere quickly when it's a convenience, Abigail and Hiro placed thrusters on the legs and retractable wings on the back armor.

The young woman loved the upgrades so far, and she asked Hiro to also include a small cannon on Akumax's shoulder pads so he can shoot out explosive projectiles after she was inspired by her old battlebot toy when she was a former botfighter.

"Professor Callaghan mentioned something like that when we first met," Hiro said as he added lithium-ion battery to the leg armor so it would charge up Akumax. "He said that's all you wanted to do."

This made Abigail remember her fond memories as a rebellious teenager, and she chuckled happily. Which felt strange to her as though she hadn't done that for a long time.

"I've been a botfighter for three years and by the time I was sixteen, I made a name for myself," she said, smiling a little. "The reason we're calling this robot Akumax is because I named him after my old battlebot."

Hiro stared at her, slack-jawed. "For a moment there, I thought you were cool... Turns out you're actually a nerd," he said in a deadpan tone.

Abigail gasped and yet, for some odd reason, she didn't become angry like she usually did before.

"I would beat you in a botfight any day," she told him.

"Tough luck. I may not look like it but I'm kind of a brilliant botfighter myself," Hiro said shyly. "Though Tadashi hates it because I use my brains to hustle botfights."

"You're kind of a con artist, aren't you?" Abigail asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Hey," Hiro shrugged. A cocky smile played on his lips. "It's all about the thrills and money. You should see my old battlebot, his name is Megabot..."

Hiro began to talk about Megabot and the tech he used to make it, and the same one that was used as a base to create the microbots. Hearing how it was her father's tech that inspired Hiro, Abigail began to talk about him and what it's like growing up with a scientist for a dad. Soon, the two former botfighters began talking about their personal lives and interests and for a brief moment, it felt like they're sharing a conversation as new friends rather than enemies.

For the first time, Hiro didn't feel so alone and yet he remembered his brother again... and his failure to save him. He was unable to hold back fresh tears falling from his eyes. Abigail became immediately concerned for him and--to her own surprise--wrapped an arm around him.

"Are you alright?" she asked softly.

"I just... missed him, my brother," Hiro said. "I never got to say good-bye to him..."

Abigail hugged him tighter and she thought of her father.

"You'd do anything to see someone you loved and get him back, right?" she asked in a strange tone which Hiro didn't notice.

"More than anything in the world."

 Abigail fell silent but she continued to hold Hiro close. Suddenly, one of the technicians burst into the room. Abigail and Hiro quickly broke off the hug.

"Don't you ever learn to knock?!" Abigail shouted at him.

"Sorry, Miss Callaghan!" the expert said. "But the portal build... it's now up and working!"

This is amazing news for Abigail and she almost fainted. However, she stood up straight.

"I'll be there to check it soon. Now leave us," she told him.

After the expert left, Abigail and Hiro placed the final armor on Akumax. Though there's still a matter of activating him.

"He's your brother's invention, how was he activated?" she demanded.

"Oh, you'll have to make a sound of distress," Hiro said. Then he cleared his throat and let out a loud, "Ow!"

Suddenly, Akumax moved and stood towering over them liking a giant, menacing battlebot in his dark armor. He looked around the room before he saw Hiro and Abigail.

"Hello, I'm Baymax," the robot said, waving at the two of them. "Hello, Hiro and Abigail."

"Hey, he knows your name," Hiro said, looking from the bot to Abigail. "And this is your first time meeting him."

"Of course, I have met Abigail before."

Hiro blinked in confusion. "What does that mean?"

"The both of us rescued--"

Abigail suddenly pulled out a red fighting chip and opened Akumax's access port. Before the robot can say anything, Abigail slid inside the chip and closed the port shut. Akumax's eyes turned red and almost cruel.

"Never mind what he said, Hiro," Abigail commented. She looked up to Akumax. "From now on, you're working for me. You got that?"

Akumax didn't reply but he slowly nodded. Abigail grinned and turned to face Hiro.

"Since you've been working so hard for these few days, you deserve some rest."

Hiro was uncertain about this since something about what Akumax said earlier made him curious. However, he turned to leave so he can walk back to his room. He stopped at the doorway and glanced back at Abigail.

"Hey, Abigail?" Hiro said with a gentle look on his face. "At first, I thought you were, you know... but tonight, I realized you're not so bad."

Abigail gave him a conflicted smile. "I still did a lot of bad things, kid. I wouldn't say things like that if I were you."

"You know, we should do a botfighting game together some day," Hiro said. He nervously rubbed his neck. "I mean, if that's alright with you..."

Then Hiro left without looking back. Abigail stood in her spot while Akumax waited for her orders. A dark shadow casted over Abigail's face.

* * *

The following early morning, Hiro and the Krei Tech employees were in for a surprise when they learn Abigail is releasing them and Krei's secretary would be bringing them back to San Fransokyo. Candace sat on a cabin cruiser at the docks, patiently waiting for the freed prisoners to climb aboard.

"Are you really serious?" A female engineer asked in surprise.

"When I said I'll let you go when you help me finish my plans, I would let you go," Abigail said with sincerity. Akumax is standing behind her. "We had some bumps on the road, but I'm sure you will never see me again once you leave Akuma Island."

"Thank god!" One the engineers exclaimed. He threw her a dirty look before jumping onto the boat, sitting beside Krei's secretary.

The others soon joined him though Hiro was left alone with her and the robot. He was nervous; he didn't know what to say to her? Was he glad to be rid of her or sad that he might never see her again?

"Um, Abigail," he stammered. "I... well..."

Abigail placed a soft hand on his shoulder.

"Hiro, no matter what I'm going to do from now on, don't think negative about me," Abigail said.

"Hey, as long you don't kidnap anymore people," Hiro laughed though Abigail didn't return the joke. Hiro then looked over to Akumax. He still felt sad to see his brother's last invention being transformed into something different but there's nothing he could do about it.

He then hopped into the cabin cruiser and sat with the adults. Abigail looked over to Krei's secretary.

"Candace, don't you wanna say good-bye too?" she asked in a tiny voice.

Krei's secretary didn't look at Abigail though Hiro swore he noticed her wiping away small tears under her glasses.

"No, thanks," she said quietly. "You know I hate sad good-byes, Abby..."

She then started up the engine and the boat zoomed out from the dock and soon made its way towards the city. Hiro watched the island growing smaller behind them and he felt as though a huge burden was lifted from his chest. Still, something seems wrong about Abigail's choice; she was so adamant of them of not letting them escape, it felt so odd of her letting them go easily.

To his horror, he saw Abigail in the distance talking to Akumax and the robot raised a shoulder cannon towards the boat. Hiro realized the meaning of the woman's last words to him.

_No matter what I'm going to do from now on, don't think negative about me._

**_"LOOK OUT!!"_** Hiro screamed, alerting the others on the boat but it was too late.

Th projectile came too fast and cabin cruiser exploded on impact.

Abigail watched the boat sunk into the waters from the distance, satisfied by both the power of her battlebot and how nobody will reveal her secrets now. She felt a little sad she had to sacrifice Candace, her confidant and only friend left, but in the end she's just a pawn to her plan.

"Alright, Akumax," Abigail said with a dark smile. "Now let's go to San Fransokyo."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Welp, just when you think Abigail and Hiro would became friends... Anyways, in the next chapter, we'll switch back to the other characters!  
> Don't worry, what Abigail saw in the footage on Baymax's screen and her new portal plan would be revealed soon!))


	18. Showdown at Krei Tech

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abigail and Akumax arrive at Krei Tech Industries to settle a score with someone. However, they are interrupted by Big Hero 6 who arrived to stop them.

A fishing boat sailed across the San Fransokyo bay that same morning and it came across a wreckage of a boat. The fisherman, a mean-looking man, noticed a several people hanging on to one of the floating debris and he quickly took them aboard.

"I'll see if I can get you all to the hospital," he grunted as he passed around blankets to the survivors.

"N-no," the woman said quickly. She wrapped a warm blanket around her companion, who was freezing after being in the water for so long. "Just drop me and my friend here at the pier and we'll take a cab from there. You can take care of the others. I'll pay you for your helpful services."

"What the heck happened to you guys?" the fisherman demanded. He then looked over to the woman's young companion and could not help but stare at the messy, dark hair. "He looks familiar to me. I think I know him..."

"It's nothing important," the woman interrupted him as she dried her glasses. "Just don't tell anyone what you found, Mister...?"

"Well, the other fishermen called me Murayama," the large, obese man answered her. "But you can call me Yama, lady."

* * *

The remaining Big Hero 6 team stood on top of a tall building in front of the Krei Tech Industries new campus. The four of them had spent many hours last night looking for their leader and friend after he fled the city, while being pursued by the police. They had failed to stop Tadashi and they're afraid of going back to Cass to tell her that she would never see her nephew again.

The four of them still decided to finish the job of apprehending Abigail and in order to do that, they would need Krei's secretary to help them. They went over what Tadashi told them of the disastrous Silent Sparrow project when Tadashi investigated Abigail's home, and Professor Callaghan's involvement with the project, Alistair Krei, and his daughter. Yet, neither of them have figured out what Abigail's true motives are and each of them became discouraged, especially without Baymax and Tadashi to guide them. Fred, however, is determined to keep the team's spirit up.

"It's 9 o'clock and there's a crowd outside the main building," he announced. He was using a pair of binoculars to observe the Krei Tech campus and the employees who are listening to Krei's speech. "I don't see that assistant anywhere. Maybe she got sick today from some bad coffee and is suffering from horrible diarrhea--"

"Fred!" Wasabi snapped beside him. "Why can't you say anything intelligent or serious for once?! Every time you open your big mouth, you try to make everything into a joke!"

"Hey, I'm just trying to lighten up the tension!" Fred snapped back. He was now as irritated as Wasabi. "Maybe if you should stop worrying about getting your 'system' messed up, and just go with the flow, you wouldn't be so high-strung!"

"Well, not everyone can be like you," Wasabi growled while he moved away from the school mascot.

"Guys, please," Honey timidly pleaded as she sat nearby with her power-purse on her lap. "Let's not fight..."

"Honey Lemon, keep out of this!"

"Hey, don't you talk to her like that!" Fred threatened Wasabi.

Then he raised his costume's clawed hand up in the air like he was about to smack the bigger guy right in the face. Suddenly, one of Gogo's disc struck the ground between the two boys and they jumped back in surprise. The disc returned to Gogo's wrist and the purple-streaked girl glared at her friends.

"All of you stop whining. Woman up," she ordered. Her chest is heaving as though she was trying to control her emotions. She knew why they are tensed at right now; ever since Tadashi left them, they are lost without him and his orders.

"If you guys can't handle being on this team anymore, you can leave and I won't stop you," she told them. "But we're here to find clues about Abigail's whereabouts, and maybe it'll help us find Tadashi. And I don't want this team to break up before that happens."

Gogo walked away from the group so she can move to the other side of the roof they're on. Fred and Wasabi became ashamed for lashing out their frustrations and they gave each other silent apologetic looks. Honey stood up and approached Gogo so the two of them can talk in private.

"Are you okay?" she asked her friend.

"No, I'm not," Gogo replied in a low, stiff voice.

Honey became quiet and stared towards the bay. It was a beautiful, sunny morning but she couldn't bring herself to enjoy this.

"Gogo, after what happened last night... do you think we're still capable of being superheroes?" Honey asked nervously. "We're so inexperienced and we already lost a couple of our teammates..."

Wasabi and Fred walked over to the girls.

"Hey, not to spoil the mood, but I just realized something..." Wasabi began hesitantly. "If Krei was the one who created Silent Sparrow and was responsible for the accident, wouldn't Abigail come to Krei Tech to seek revenge?"

Gogo slowly shook her head. "I doubt it. If Abigail wanted to destroy Krei, she would have done it a long time ago."

"Then why are we here waiting around and all suited up?" Fred asked. "I mean, all these stuff wouldn't be necessary to catch Krei's secretary--"

"Tadashi," Gogo replied. Everyone fell into silence at the mention of his name.

"No, he wouldn't..." Wasabi said, horrified. "Tadashi wouldn't dare to attack Krei. That guy had nothing to do with Tadashi!"

"It must be because he wanted to know why Krei had another Baymax," Honey said. She reminded the group of the photo the team found at the old Krei Tech laboratory. "Tadashi was really furious, he thought Krei stole his invention..."

"Yeah, but Tadashi promised us he wouldn't go after Krei!" Wasabi protested.

Fred suddenly interrupted conversation when he glanced up towards the sky.

 _"Holy Mother of Megazon!"_  he shouted, though his voice was drowned out by a roaring sound of rockets.

The team followed the noise and it was coming from the Krei Tech building. They looked over to see the crowd of employees running away in fear as a huge armored robot swooped down and snatched Alistair Krei. A figure wearing a familiar dark clothing is riding on the robot's back. It was Abigail.

"What's the plan?" Wasabi asked Gogo.

Gogo quickly removed the gum from her mouth and stuck it the side of her helmet. "We have to take down the robot," she answered.

"Is that it?"

"I'll think up the rest when we get down there. Let's move, team!"

* * *

Standing in front of the crowd of employees, old and new, and with a glass of champagne in his hand, Alistair Krei stood tall and proud. It took an entire year and half to make rebuild the main Krei Tech building and used his latest technology to make it sleek and modern. He was mildly irritated that his secretary isn't here to celebrate this day with him, and didn't even bother to send him a message about her absence.

Krei had a tough week; several of his employees have been kidnapped, an old laboratory facility of his was mysteriously destroyed, and there were broken microbots that were found at the site. The police interrogated him about the microbots and he only told them that they were created by a Hiro Hamada. He had heard about the terrible fire that not only took the young boy's life, but also someone he used to respect not as a friend. He never attended Callaghan's funeral because he was uncomfortable. It reminded him that their last conversation together was full of bitterness from Callaghan's side, and then Krei read the newspapers the following morning that Callaghan perished in the fire.

The last time he saw Professor Callaghan at the SFIT showcase, the man interfered Hiro's choice and subtly used his daughter's accident to justify Krei's reckless "cutting corners" attitude. Krei almost lost his cool since not only he lost his chance getting an interesting nanobot tech but he was reminded of a past he didn't want to remember. He would never hurt Abigail and the Silent Sparrow incident still haunts him once in a while but the professor still brings up his mistake to spite at him. Krei doesn't blame Callaghan for hating him, but he doesn't care; however, he still had not seen Abigail ever since he helped rescued her from beyond the portal. He felt his heart grew heavy with loneliness but he shrugged it off.

"This beautiful new campus is the culmination of a lifelong dream," Krei addressed his employees. "But none of this would have been possible without a few bumps in the road. Those setbacks made us stronger and set us on the path to a bright future."

The crowd clapped. Krei was smiling when a voice boomed,  ** _"Setbacks?"_**

Krei looked up behind him and saw a giant, scary-looking robot came flying down from the sky. The blow of the impact knocking Krei backwards. The crowd panicked and ran away. Krei tried to run too, but the robot wrapped its huge hand around Krei's waist and flew to the top of the tallest building in the campus. The robot landed on the roof and held the CEO tight in his grip.

The woman climbed down from the robot so she can look at Krei properly. Krei stopped struggling when he saw her. His eyes went wide.

"Was I setback, Alistair?" Abigail hissed dangerously.

"Abigail," Krei gasped. His expression became pained for a moment. "What happened to you back then... It was an accident."

"No!" Abigail yelled as Akumax's hand tightened around Krei. He groaned in pain. Abigail pointed a finger at the CEO, her eyes flashed with venom. "You knew something was wrong and you still pushed me into the portal! My father often told me how arrogant you are and I never listened him..."

"Abby," Krei begged. He started using her old nickname which he only called her by it when they're alone together. "Look at me. I'm sorry how things got messed up before, and had I known if it was going to happen, I wouldn't have made that risk."

"You don't know what I went through when I was trapped inside that portal!" Abigail screamed, her voice filled with anguish. "I was sitting helpless in some unknown dark space, and crying for anyone to come save me. And I couldn't walk for months after that, I was so weak and useless..." She stopped so she could catch her breath. Her body was shaking violently in pain.

"Abby..." Krei whispered weakly.

"Don't call me that anymore!! My father told me that you’ve abandoned me and only saved me to protect yourself!" Abigail became furious again. "Akumax, wings!"

With a snarl, she got on Akumax's back. Akumax then dropped Krei and flew off, leaving behind on the roof. Krei sat helplessly as he watched Abigal and Akumax hover in front of him. 

"What are you doing?" Krei asked, terrified, as the cannon on Akumax’s shoulder pad opened up. It began to hum, getting ready to fire.

"You ruined my life when you sent me into that machine," Abigail told him. "Now you're going to watch me destroy everything important to you. And then, it'll be your turn."

Krei could only look at her as a defeated man. ".... I already lost everything important when you disappeared," he said in a low voice.

Abigail looked at him coldly, though she was a little curious at his statement.

“You don’t mean that,” she said, her lips quivering. “You only care about your reputation…”

“And I’ve never abandoned you either,” Krei continued on. “Your father lied to you about that. He wouldn’t let me come near you.”

Abigail felt as though someone slapped her and she almost forgot to breathe. However, she snapped back into her hatred and was about to give Akumax the signal when she heard a voice call, "Abigail Callaghan!"

She froze. She and Akumax turned around to see four of those meddling superhero kids standing on the roof of a Krei Tech building below her. While she was enraged to see them alive, she noticed their leader isn't with them. At least there’s something to be pleased about. Akumax flew down towards the same roof and landed a good distance away from them. 

"Let him go," Gogo said.

Abigail chuckled as she jumped down. She haughtily placed her arms on her hips.

“So you guys are still around,” she mused. “I thought for sure you’d all be buried under the Krei Tech lab after I’ve destroyed it. But I can see you’re missing a couple of friends. Two out of six isn’t so bad, but it’s still a sloppy job.”

Gogo clenched her fists but she kept looking at Abigail with fierce defiance. She saw Wasabi stepped forward beside her.

“Hey… What do you hope to accomplish from all this?” he asked, trying to sound brave.

“This isn’t right, Miss Callaghan,” Honey added. “Is this really what you wanted?”

“You don’t know anything about me!” Abigail shouted.

“N-no, we don’t,” Fred stammered. “But we know your dad, and we’re sorry for your loss…”

“What could you possibly understand?” the young woman demanded.

For a brief moment, the group was reminded of Tadashi when he was still grieving and lashing out his anger after losing Hiro. The memories of him pushing them away still hurts them, even at this moment.

“This won’t solve anything,” Gogo stated.

Abigail became quiet. She thought of her dad, wondering what he would think of her right now, as a criminal about to destroy a man and his entire work for vengeance... Then she remembered her father had died trying to bring vengeance on Krei.

At that moment, Krei shouted from the top of building, “Listen to them, Abigail. Just let me go, and I’ll give you anything you want!”

Abigail’s expression darkened.

 ** _“I want you gone!”_** Then she turned to Akumax and pointed a finger at the superheroes. _“Get rid of them!”_

Akumax’s red eyes glowed brighter. Then his shoulder-cannon launched an explosive at Big Hero 6 without warning. The group quickly tried to jump out of the way but the blow knocked them off from the building’s ledge. Fred bounced down while Honey used her chem-ball to create a cushion to catch herself, Gogo, and Wasabi.

The team hurriedly regrouped on the ground.

“This is nuts!” Wasabi shouted, now panicked. “When did she get a robot?”

“I don’t know about you guys but I have a strange feeling about it,” Honey said slowly.

“Yeah, it’s called _fear_!”

“I call it _awesome_!” Fred chuckled. “I mean, we’re going to be killed but it’s so cool to fight a big robot! I wish Tadashi was here--”

“I’ve updated the plan,” Gogo muttered. “Forget the robot, just take out his weapons first.”

“Now, that’s more like it!” Wasbai grinned.

Gogo quickly told the others her plan and before they can do anything else, Akumax came down hard and shot his rocket fist at them.

The team scattered as the fist broke the cement wall of a building. It then magnetically returned to Akumax’s hand and the robot began to menacingly follow the team around. He kept shooting his rocket fists and explosives at them, though the superheroes narrowly avoided them the best they can.

* * *

Umidori Island, an island sitting in the San Fransokyo bay with a bridge connected between both the island and the city. Inside an old lighthouse, a slender figure was curled up inside a ball made of microbots. Tadashi Hamada had been running all night and came to this lighthouse after arriving on the island. He collapsed with exhaustion but he used the microbots to protect him in case anyone came in to find him.

He felt sad and worried for leaving his friends and his aunt behind, but at the same time, he was relieved to get away from them. He felt so peaceful without anyone waiting for him to mess up. Being alone was easier too, he won't have to hurt and lose anyone else anymore. He lay on his side, thinking about what he was planning to do next since he’s now a fugitive from the police. He could picture Baymax and Hiro speaking to him at this moment.

 _“Hey, why are you giving up now, knucklehead?”_ the fantasized Hiro chastised him. _“I thought helping people was your thing?”_

 _“Tadashi, you’re still needed,”_ Baymax’s voice gently told him. _“Your treatment is far from completion.”_

Tadashi shook his head and shut his eyes behind his helmet. “I can’t do anything right… Why do I even bother…?” he mumbled bitterly. “You guys are gone because of me."

Then he heard something coming from the communicator. He thought he turned it off before he left the city. He sat up and listened closely; the voices were low and static but he recognized them immediately. It was his friends and they seemed to be fighting a dangerous foe.

 _“—We have to get to Krei and get him down from there_!” Gogo’s voice was heard.

 _“Easy for you to say!”_ Wasabi blurted out.

 _“I can’t bounce high enough to reach him!"_ Fred shouted. _"Why did the guy have to make that building so tall!”_

Tadashi realized they must be talking of the new Krei Tech headquarters which Alistair Krei had been busy working on for a while. Confused, he wondered why his friends are there in the first place. He tried to listen more but the communicator went dead silent.

“What do I do now... ?” Tadashi asked to himself as the microbots gave away and formed a platform under him. “I can’t return to the city again, but my friends are in trouble…”

He hugged his knees and think deeply about this situation.

* * *

Back at Krei Tech, the pointy-nosed CEO was too terrified to move from his spot at the top of highest building. He just watched his campus is being destroyed by Akumax before his eyes.

“I don’t love that robot at all,” he said to himself.

* * *

Meanwhile on the ground, Akumax saw a large chunk of fallen debris nearby. He used his amazing strength to lift it and toss it at Wasabi. The green-clad fighter released his plasma laser blades and sliced the cement debris in clean halves.

He sighed with relief but he was still shaking after he almost crushed.

“I wished I brought that extra pair of underwear with me,” he grumbled sheepishly, his face turned red.

Gogo skated around the campus, throwing her discs at the robot trying to distract him from going after her friends.

Honey gasped in fear when she saw the Akumax coming for her next. She used two of her chem-balls to create a sticky concoction to slow down the robot. It worked and the robot came to a stop.

Then Fred ran forward and blasted fire at Akumax.

“It’s Fred Time!” the school mascot roared.

However, the fire didn’t seem to put a lot of damage on Akumax’s armor and the robot managed to break free from the chemical concoction. Fred then leaped over to Akumax.

“Gravity Crush!” he called out his attack and he managed to knock the robot flat on his back. Then he used the kaiju-like claws of his costume to repeatedly scratch at Akumax’s armor.

“Monster Slash!” he cried.

Akumax got up and simply grabbed the school mascot. He violently tossed Fred aside like a ragdoll. Fred slammed into Honey, and they knocked down easily like ragdolls.

The two of them looked up just in time to see Akumax raised his shoulder-cannon again. But just as he was about to launch, Gogo plowed into him. The blow redirected the cannon, missed Honey and Fred and struck the billboard with the Krei Tech symbol on it.

Akumax then smacked Gogo against the wall. He raised his shoulder-cannon towards her.

“Now, Wasabi!”

Wasabi leap forward and sliced the canon off like a twig just before it could fire. It caused a small explosion to erupt and the robot staggered back in confusion, now covered in smoke.

Abigail growled in fury while she watched her weapon being stopped easily. There is no way she would be defeated here today.

The team waited for Akumax to attack them. When the smoke cleared, they saw that the robot’s helmet has been destroyed and they saw who it was.

“Baymax?!” they all gasped.

The former nursebot’s white head looked out of place on top of the huge, bulky dark armor. He looked exactly like the one Tadashi had built except his eyes are still glowing red. He began to approach the team again, ready to tear them apart.

“Baymax, stop!” Honey shouted. “It’s us!”

“Why is he attacking us?! He’s not programmed to harm people!” Wasabi demanded. He turned to advancing robot. “Baymax, why are you attacking us!

“His nurse chip!” Fred remembered. “Maybe he doesn’t have it inside his access port—DUCK!!”

Akumax tossed another a huge block at them. Wasabi sliced them a little too late and the whole team were knocked down together and covered in broken cement debris. They all groaned in pain and tried to move; their entire bodies were sore and weakened after they wasted all their energy chasing and looking for Tadashi last night. Then they saw Akumax, with his wings out, hovering high up in the air, carrying a struggling Krei with one hand. Abigail is now back riding on top of the robot and she looked down at the group with contempt.

“Please stop this, Abigail,” Honey said, trying to reason with the woman.

“I'm done listening to you,” Abigail growled. Then she heard police sirens approaching. She had to make this quick. “If you want you to rescue Mr. Krei and finish our fight, come to Akuma Island tonight. ... That is if you can survive this.”

She then dropped three of her bombs down at the group before she and Akumax flew off with Krei. Honey quickly summoned a chemical dome to shield them all from the blow. The group crouched down, panting heavily. The bombs exploded before they can land the explosion made several cracks on the dome, but the team were safe.

They waited for a while until it's safe to come out from the dome, and Wasabi used his lasers to slice an opening for them to pass through. They're all alive and have survived their first battle without their leader. Yet, after they looked around the ruined state of the Krei Tech buildings and realizing that Abigail kidnapped Krei, the team knew they haven't accomplished anything at all.

"What do we do now, Gogo?" Honey asked sadly.

Gogo slowly chewed her gum but she then spat it out. Honey knew her friend would never spit out her bubblegum unless she's upset. In the distance, the police car sirens are growing closer.

"Let's get out of here, we'll think up the next plan," Gogo said.

* * *

Tadashi used the microbots so he can travel secretly under the bridge back to San Fransokyo. He couldn’t believe he’s doing this, but at least his friends would be pleased to see him back. He tried to fix the communicator inside his helmet and he was able to hear his friends speaking clearer. He then heard rockets roaring and he looked around saw a robot flying off away from the city. Tadashi noticed quickly that robot is carrying someone who looked to be a captive.

"What is that?" Tadashi wondered out loud, more curious about the flying robot rather than the person. Judging from the direction it was going, it appeared the robot is heading towards Akuma Island.

Tadashi remembered the island was used as a base for the Silent Sparrow project, and it was the place where all the troubles first began... He clenched his fists tight when he thought of the possibility of finding Abigail there.

"Well, I've always wanted to visit an island," he said darkly. He made his decision. He glanced at San Fransokyo, his home, one last time before changing his direction towards the robot's destination.

* * *

Around noontime at the Lucky Cat cafe, the TV inside the cafe was blasting reports of an attack at Krei Tech Industries and but it was stopped by four mysterious masked heroes. However, Aunt Cass wasn't paying attention, she was busily mopping up the floor. She closed her shop for the day since she was still heartbroken after her Tadashi ran away without saying anything to her. She couldn't understand why the police suspected him as a criminal, and she didn't care what Tadashi had done. She lost her remaining nephew and she couldn't even help him overcome his depression after he lost his brother. She felt like a failure since she couldn't keep her promise to her sibling.

She felt fresh tears stinging her eyes. How many times did she cried so far? And would she be able to move after what happened to Tadashi?

She heard the door of the cafe opened behind her. Cass was sure she locked it.

"Cafe is closed, come back another time," she said in a heavy voice, sniffling.

"Hey, Aunt Cass..." a young voice called out to her and she dropped her mop in shock. She had not heard that voice since...

She quickly spun around to see Hiro, his hair and clothes drenched what it seemed to be seawater, standing at the entrance. Behind him is a woman with glasses and a pixie haircut. Her clothes were damped as well. Aunt Cass' hands reached to her mouth and she almost fainted.

Hiro smiled as tears roll down his face. "I'm home, Auntie," he announced himself in a shaky voice.

Aunt Cass did not hesitate anymore and pulled her once-lost nephew into the tightest and biggest hug. Hiro returned it and nuzzled happily into her warmth. He missed this so much, it was as though he woke up from a bad dream. It felt so wonderful to be back home again. He even thought he almost died again this morning if it weren't for the quick actions of Krei's secretary...

Hiro felt his aunt planting kisses all over him. They're both laughing and crying at the same time.

"M-my little boy... my little boy is alive!" Cass sobbed and buried her face into his wet hair. "Oh, Hiro..."

"I thought I would never see you again," Hiro sniffed. Then he turned to Krei's secretary who limped over to a table.

"Who is she?" Cass demanded, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"She--she was the one who saved me, Aunt Cass," Hiro explained. "A lot of things has happened to me..."

"I'll say!" Aunt Cass said as she picked up her mop. "Wait till your brother sees you..."

She paused and remembered the incident last night. She fell into an awkward silent and looked away from her nephew. Hiro became confused.

"W-what are you talking about?" he asked slowly. "Tadashi died in the fire, didn't he?"

Cass's heart began to race. She calmly placed her hands on Hiro's shoulders. She did not know where to start and she knew Hiro would not like what he's going to hear, but she could not hide things from him even though the two have just reunited.

"Hiro," she began. "Promise me that you'll forgive your brother..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Okay, we are coming close to the end of this story where the climatic battle will take place in Akuma Island. And Hiro is going to find out what happened to Tadashi. Also, this chapter revealed that Abigail and Krei had a thing for each other before the portal accident, which is why Prof. Callaghan is so particularly bitter towards Krei.))


	19. Worlds Beyond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tadashi arrives at Akuma Island while Hiro and his friends learn of Abigail's true goal.

At Fred’s mansion, the team had changed from their superhero suits into their normal clothes and they sat on chairs in the backyard where they used to train. The four of them were exhausted from battle but they’re still pondering for the next plan.

“We get to Akuma Island, apprehend Abigail and save Mr. Krei,” Honey said, trying to sound optimistic. “It’s very simple, right?”

“I can get Heathcliff to take us to there on the family helicopter,” Fred suggested.

“What’s the point?” Gogo said gloomily while she sat farther away from them. Ever since the battle at Krei Tech, she’s been avoiding everyone’s gazes. “Even if we go confront her, we end up losing and she escapes.”

“We can’t let her get away, and hurt Krei,” Wasabi protested. “We signed up for this team to stop her.”

“We failed, Wasabi,” Gogo corrected him as she looked down at her helmet in her hands. She stared at the faint reflection on her visor, and she saw how tired she looked. “We couldn’t help Tadashi and our tech is getting dull and low on power. This is a dead end for us…”

Then she threw her helmet aside in frustration. Wasabi and Honey’s faces fell and they looked down to the ground. Fred, however, was determined to keep this team going. He unexpectedly grabbed Gogo by her legs before carrying her over his shoulder; then he started dancing around, swinging Gogo’s body much to everyone’s shock.

“Um… W-what are you doing, Freddie?” Honey asked, her face flushed in embarrassment.

“He’s gone nuts, that’s what he’s doing,” Wasabi muttered, eyes wide.

“This is what I did to Tadashi on his seventy-fifth test!” Fred replied. He was grinning like a lunatic.

“Put me down or I’ll hit you!” Gogo screamed at the fanboy.

“Hey, Tadashi said the exact same thing,” Fred laughed as he finally set Gogo down. Keeping his tone lighthearted, he continued, “Look… Tadashi never gave up working on Baymax despite how many times he wanted to throw in the towel. He saw how important his robot would be, and we saw proof when Baymax was part of our team. He even saved us from drowning.”

Then his expression became serious.

“And even if Tadashi… gave up on this team, we’re not giving up on our promise to him,” he said. “We became Big Hero 6 to catch Abigail so we can bring Hiro to justice. No matter how long it takes, we will finish the job. There are no dead ends.”

His friends exchanged warm looks as they began to smile again. For the first time, they completely appreciated Fred despite not being intelligent as them. And they finally understood why Tadashi allowed him into their group.

Gogo picked up her helmet and popped a new bubblegum into her mouth. A new determination sparked inside her.

“Alright, team,” she said. “We have a plan to get to Akuma Island, but we need get our weapons fixed before we do that.”

“I know where Tadashi kept some of the tools in the garage,” Wasabi said. “It’s a good thing he showed us how he made our stuff…”

Honey was alerted by her cellphone ringing and she picked it up.

“Hellooo, this is Honey~!” she announced in her sugary tone.

Then her expression suddenly switched from calm to surprise, and her hand covered her mouth. This went unnoticed by her friends who are curious about the call.

“What was that all about?” Wasabi asked her after she turned off her cellphone.

“It’s Tadashi’s aunt,” she said slowly as she removed her glasses as though she couldn’t believe what she just heard. “She said… Hiro is alive.”

* * *

It has been so long since Krei stepped into Akuma Island. The whole laboratory where Silent Sparrow was being tested became badly damaged; the ceiling had caved in, leaving a gaping hole. The walls were cracked, and chunks of concrete and broken metal were scattered everywhere. The entire lab almost remained the same the last time he saw it, except for the new portal that he had not seen before. The cloudy vortex in the middle of the ring was humming ominously and the portal was powered up by two electrical generators standing on the sides.

Krei was trapped to a wall by iron rods near the ceiling. Akumax is standing nearby, not moving or doing anything at all other than just guarding Krei and the portal. He’s now wearing a new helmet over his head that was made by Abigail.

“Hey, um… Could you let me go for a sec, I need to use the bathroom really bad,” Krei tried to reason with the robot for the fourth time.

 _“I’ve scanned you. You’re in no urgent hurry to relieve your bladder,”_ Akumax spoke in distorted, calm voice.

“Wait, you can talk?!” Krei cried. He was still upset this his lie didn’t fool the robot, but he was more outraged to hear that Akumax is capable of speech since the latter was usually silent. “You’ve been letting me talk all by myself ever since you stuck me up here!”

Abigail, meanwhile, is busy at the control room in a tower overlooking the lab floor. Tapping away keyboards and making sure the portal is stabilized and has enough power to stay activated. Now all she had to do is wait until it is ready…

She climbed down a decrepit metal stairway from the control room and walked over to where Krei is. “How’s it hanging, Alistair?” she asked, smirking at her own joke.

“Abigail, what are you planning exactly?” Krei demanded in a panic tone. “Don’t you realize why we shut down Silent Sparrow? Our portals were too dangerous.”

“Yet, we went ahead to experiment on them despite the warnings,” Abigail scoffed. She stared longingly into the portal. “You said it yourself that we wanted to do things beyond the possible.”

“Are you planning to throw me in there?” Krei asked.

He’s beginning to wonder if Abigail is planning to trap Krei inside the portal to make him feel and understand her pain. The thought of being alone and floating in somewhere beyond terrifies him.

However, Abigail shook her head. “This portal isn’t for you,” she said. “I already planned for Akumax to break every piece of bone in your body. And let you suffer a slow painful death alone in this island.”

Krei wildly turned to the robot, who said nothing but stare at the CEO.

“Better cherish your remaining life, Alistair,” Abigail smiled darkly. “When the time is right, I will finally get what I want.”

* * *

Tadashi’s friends hurried over to the garage of the Lucky Cat café as soon Honey recounted the news Aunt Cass told her. As soon as they arrived, they found Aunt Cass with Hiro standing in the room. Hiro had changed into drier clothes and he was excited to meet the gang.

“Hiro! You’re alive!” the four shouted in overjoyed unison.

They all ran to the young genius, each of them hugging him and ruffling his hair.

“I couldn’t believe it! We thought you were dead!” Wasabi said, smiling.

“Are you an apparition, little guy?” Fred demanded, his eyes went wide and tried to see if his hand can pass though Hiro’s body. “Did you have some unfinished business?”

“I’m not a ghost,” Hiro chuckled. He could feel his heart swell with joy now that he’s around with familiar people again.

Honey placed a hand on his shoulder. “Hiro, all of us missed you so bad ever since that fire in the showcase,” she told him. “Especially Tadashi.”

"Tadashi... he didn’t die in the fire like Abigail told me,” Hiro quietly said. He tried to appear happy but for some reason, he sounded discouraged.

Gogo crossed her arms in disgust. “So, Abigail held you captive all this time and lied to us that you’ve died after you helped her build more microbots,” she said.

Cass wrapped an around her nephew’s shoulder, keeping him close to her. “That woman didn’t hurt you, did she?” she asked.

“Well, she almost killed me this morning--” Hiro started but he was interrupted when his everyone shouted and gasped in shock. “It was scary, but Candace here saved me!”

At these words, he waved a hand towards Krei’s secretary, who was sitting on the red couch. Hiro’s friends moved into fighting stances though they felt rather stupid for not noticing her earlier.

“What is she doing here?” Fred demanded. “She’s working for Abigail!”

“Not anymore. She betrayed me and tried to get me killed since I’m no longer useful to her,” Krei’s secretary said, standing up. She approached the group. “Since I’m not loyal to her anymore, I will explain to you what she had been doing.”

Then she removed a USB from her pocket and had Hiro connect it to his computer. Honey took out the picture of showing the other Baymax at the old Krei Tech lab.

“We found this days ago,” Honey said to Krei's secretary. “Maybe you can give us answers about why Krei has another Baymax.”

“Alistair didn’t build him. It came through the same portal when he rescued Abigail,” Krei’s secretary replied much to the confusion of the others. She watch a video popped up on Hiro’s computer screen. “This footage would show you Abigail’s true goal. This is just a copy of the original footage which was found inside a video projector from the other Baymax. I must warn you… it’s rather interesting.”

* * *

Meanwhile, Tadashi finally arrived at Akuma Island. It was a long journey and he was worried that he didn’t have enough microbots to take him this far. Fortunately, he reached the island with no problems. He saw an abandoned military-type building with warning signs on the fences that the entire site is quarantined.

Tadashi looked around for an entrance into the facility when he was startled by a snapping sound.

He instantly spun around and unleashed a microbot spear at whoever, whatever, it is behind him. He then found the source of the noise: it was a pigeon. The microbots had missed it by a few inches. The bird stared back at Tadashi, pooped in fright, before flying off.

“Just a stupid bird,” Tadashi grumbled, rolling his eyes. “He’s lucky that he’s not Abigail.”

He approached a large steel door with no lock. With the microbots, he carefully broke and remove the door without making too much noise. He peeked in and saw a stairwell that led into the blackness.

* * *

Unfortunately for Tadashi, Akumax was alerted by an intruder. Even both Abigail and Krei heard the faint noise from the testing lab.

“Take care whoever it was,” Abigail ordered the robot.

* * *

Tadashi crept down the stairwell until he came to a long, narrow hall. He was forced to move by foot though he made the microbots, buzzing and clicking, travel behind him. He heard a sound and he looked up ahead; a door opened and he readied himself to attack but then _more_ microbots came up to him, linking up to the rest. Now he’s walking in a sea of black nanobots but he kept going further.

He entered the open door where the microbots came out and he came into a room full of twenty empty trash bins. The machine back at the warehouse that was used to create the microbots was sitting in the corner, deactivated.

“I guess since Abigail didn’t have the neurotransmitter anymore, these microbots are useless for her,” he said to himself.

He scanned across the room and saw another door up ahead. It was open ajar. Burning with curiosity, he made his over and peeked inside.

It was a small lab full of multiple 3D printers. There was a table full of tools and surround it are parts what appeared to be armor pieces. Tadashi noticed a computer with a wide video screen was on.

Remembering the last time he investigated a place before he was caught, he closed and locked the door behind him, leaving him and good amount of microbots inside. Then he removed his helmet and placed it on the desk near the computer.

He checked some files on the computer and found blueprints to build and upgrade a giant robot. He then found a model of Baymax much to his shock.

“Baymax…” he whispered. He became enraged at the thought of someone tampering with his invention.

Tadashi found a video file that piqued his interest. Thinking it might be a copy of the failed Silent Sparrow project, he tried to delete it but he accidentally opened it. The footage began to play and he heard a familiar voice that almost gave him a heart attack.

 _“H-hey, Baymax. I didn’t know you were still… active,”_ Hiro said on the video screen. Hiro appeared to be sitting on his bed in his room.

The nursebot’s voice was heard, _“I heard a sound of distress. What seems to be the trouble?”_

Hiro looked a little embarrassed as though he wanted to get away from Baymax. _“Oh, I just stubbed my toe a little. I’m fine…”_

Tadashi stared at the video screen and he could feel his heart hurt with longing and deep sadness. His brother is alive, and he’s interacting with Baymax. _But how is this possible?_ Tadashi thought, confused. _I never introduced these two again after Hiro visited my school…_

The video skipped and played different scenes where Hiro is clearly mourning for his brother, who appeared to have died in the fire, and trying to build up a similar superhero team with the gang to catch the masked man.

 _Wait, if Hiro is alive and I’m the one who’s dead…_ Tadashi thought wildly, scratching his head to find the answer. _This doesn’t make sense! How would Baymax record all this, if he’s with me all this time?_

Despite what he thinks, he continued watching the video and he felt so happy and desperate to see his little brother’s face again. He couldn’t help but place his hand on the screen, hoping he could reach out to Hiro…

Suddenly, the video switch to a scene where Hiro and his friends finally cornered the masked man. Tadashi assumed it was Abigail they’ve defeated, but to his horror heard Professor Callaghan’s voice.

 _“Tadashi…”_ he heard Hiro whimper. _“You just let him die…”_

 _“Give me the mask, Hiro,”_ Callaghan said while Baymax’s camera moves over to where Hiro and the professor are.

_“He went in there to save you!”_

**_“That was his mistake!”_ **

At that moment, all of Tadashi’s rage, hatred, and resentment returned. His fists tightened so much, he had to control himself from punching something.

So, that’s what his professor think of him… Tadashi looked up to him like a grandfather who gave him advice on his projects and even encouraged him to finish them, but the man saw the inventor as a nuisance. Tadashi couldn’t believe he risked his life to save a complete monster…

He saw Hiro ordering Baymax to destroy Callaghan before he began to remove his nurse chip. However the video froze and it switched to the aftermath. It appeared that Callaghan had escaped and Hiro was yelling at his friends for interfering.

And he began to grow furious at his own friends too. He remembered how they held him back when he tried to attack Abigail.

“I guess they never gave a damn about me at all,” he hissed before shutting off the computer. He had seen enough.

* * *

Back in the garage at the Lucky Cat café, everyone stared when they saw the footage playing. It showed Hiro, for some reason he’s wearing a similar superhero suit, ordered Baymax to destroy Callaghan who tried to flee.

Hiro’s friends watched when they saw themselves trying to stop Baymax and getting flung aside. The video finally ended before Baymax can shoot a rocket fist at Callaghan.

The whole garage fell silent as everyone tried to process what they just saw. Hiro shuddered uncomfortably at the thought of him trying to murder someone in cold blood. He saw the pale expressions on his friends’ faces. He wondered if they see him as some sort of monster.

“L-look, I would never,” he stammered. “Especially you guys…”

“Hiro, we’re not blaming you!” Fred said, realizing what the young boy is thinking. “We’re as confused as you are!”

“That… is the scariest thing I’ve seen in my whole life,” Wasabi muttered.

“Is that even the same Hiro on the video?” Gogo asked. “And why is Callaghan alive? I thought he was dead!”

Aunt Cass held her nephew tight protectively and she glared at Krei’s secretary as though it was her fault for scaring Hiro.

“You better give us an explanation for this!” she growled.

Krei’s secretary sighed and adjusted her glasses. “The boy Hiro Hamada you see in the video is both the same and different one from this Hiro right here.”

“… I don’t get it,” Fred said, raising an eyebrow.

“I’ll get straight to the point,” the woman said. She took a deep breath. “Abigail build a portal that would lead her to an alternate dimension so she could reunite with her father.”

* * *

Tadashi coldly placed his helmet with the neurotransmitter back on his head. As soon he left the room, he saw a rocket fist flying towards him and he tried to dodge it. The blow hit the wall behind him and knocked him down.

He quickly got back up on his feet but then he saw a giant robot throwing the empty trash bins at him. Tadashi dodged them and moved around the room on top of the microbots. Akumax kept firing his rocket fists at the young man, but missed him. Tadashi then used the microbots to grab the robot and smashed him hard against the wall easily. The microbots pin the struggling robot down.

“Thought you could ambush me that easily, huh?” Tadashi sneered as he stepped furiously on top of the robot. “Did Abigail made you? You look like a walking piece of junk.”

WIthout warning, Akumax punched Tadashi off from him and the inventor went flying backwards. His helmet was knocked off from his head. Tadashi tried to get up but his chest was ready to split open in pain.

Akumax loomed over him and raised his fist. He was about to launch another rocket fist when it scanned Tadashi’s face. The robot seemed to hold itself before lowering his weapon. Even his eyes glowed less red.

Tadashi was confused why the robot stopped but while it was distracted, he crawled over and picked up his helmet. Before he could put it back on, he heard the robot speak.

“Tadashi.”

He stopped and spun around. He knew that voice.

“Baymax!” Tadashi gasped.

The huge robot blinked and nodded. “Hello, Tadashi.”

Tadashi cautiously walked over to his robot and touched his chest armor. He found the access port and opened it. There was only one chip inside, and it looked like the red chip he used to upload fighting skills into Baymax’s programming. His own green nurse chip is missing, but he doesn’t care about it. His robot had recognized him without the chip.

He took out the chip and closed the port. He looked up to his robot and could feel his tears forming.

“Baymax… you knew who I was?” Tadashi asked. He wondered Baymax mistaken him as an enemy since he was wearing his helmet which concealed his face.

“Of course, you created me,” Baymax replied, his voice becoming clearer and calmer. Even his eyes returned back to normal without the fighting chip inside him.

“Then, can you still do your medical procedures? Or do anything that’s you?” Tadashi inquired, knowing that his special chip is what created Baymax’s personality.

“I am unable to access and update my caregiving matrix,” Baymax said. “I am still able to function on my old personality. I am sorry for causing distress towards you.”

“Wait, if you can still act like you, then why were you all psycho before…” Tadashi said.

“It must have been the fighting database installed in my programming,” Baymax said. “I was forced to obey Abigail’s orders since she had Hiro activated me.”

Tadashi heard his brother’s name. “Wait, you saw Hiro?” he cried. “Then, do you know where he is?”

Baymax became quiet for a moment. “I apologize Tadashi. Hiro was my primary caregiver, but Abigail ordered me to eliminate him,” he said. “It was not my intention…”

Tadashi dropped his helmet and the fighting chip. They landed on the ground near his feet. He slowly walked away from Baymax and leaned against the wall. Just to hear that Abigail had Baymax kill his brother shattered him completely. He burst into tears and collapsed on his knees.

Baymax walked over to his robot and could only place a comforting hand on top of inventor’s head. Tadashi continued crying for several minutes.

When he was done, he got up and dried his eyes.

“Baymax…” he began, his tone lifeless and bitter. “It’s not your fault. You would never hurt Hiro. … Abigail’s the one who’s responsible.”

“Tadashi, I am curious,” Baymax said. “I was informed by Hiro that you’ve died in a fire. I guess he was mistaken.”

“N-no, I didn’t die,” Tadashi said, shaking his head. Then he remembered the video he saw on the computer. “Wait… did you actually meet Professor Callaghan?”

“Indeed. Hiro wanted to avenge you by terminating Callaghan,” Baymax replied. "It went against my programming."

Tadashi scratched his head. “This doesn’t make sense. Callaghan should have died, but he was alive in your recording. Where was Abigail in all this?”

“Abigail was in hypersleep inside her pod when Hiro and I rescued her from the portal. I stayed behind so I can get Hiro and her to safety. I made Hiro deactivated me--”

“Wait, what are you talking about?!” Tadashi shouted. He was getting more confused, but then it slowly dawned on him. He decided to test something that only Baymax would know. If this Baymax is even the same one as his… “Baymax, what was the name of the kid we rescued from the Banzai Brothers?”

“I have no clue, Tadashi,” Baymax said. “We did no such thing.”

Tadashi finally realized the missing pieces, why the photograph showed another Baymax at the old Krei Tech lab, and the strange video clips…

“Baymax,” Tadashi slowly spoke, “I think you came from another dimension.”

“I came to the same conclusion since Hiro acted odd when he activated me,” Baymax agreed. “And I discovered Abigail made another portal somewhere in this building. She must be waiting for my return to see if I took ‘care’ of you like she ordered. I don’t see how destroying you is taking care of you.”

Tadashi felt sick to see his robot being turned into a mindless fighting machine but he was happy to reunite with Baymax again, even though this is not his same robot. He remembered why he came to Akuma Island for and he resumed his mission.

* * *

Abigail was getting impatient and suspicious that Akumax had not returned.

“Guard the portal, Alistair,” she said as left control room.

“Don’t worry, I’ll stick around,” Krei said sarcastically while he’s still trapped to the wall.

Before Abigail can talk back, she saw the microbots burst into the room. Riding on top of it is a figure in dark clothing and a helmet. She was paralyzed in her spot but before she can reach for her bombs inside her coat, the microbots wrapped themselves around her and prevented her to escape.

“You! How dare you steal my microbots!” she snarled at the intruder as she was lifted towards him.

Tadashi pulled up his dark visor so he can glare at her.

 ** _“I think you meant my brother’s microbots,”_** he corrected her in a dark tone. He was delighted to see Abigail terrified. “And now that I finally have you, Abigail… I wanted some answers and you’re going to tell me everything.”

* * *

“Okay, this is crazy,” Gogo commented after Krei’s secretary revealed Abigail’s true plan. “Do you expect us to believe that an alternate dimension from ours exist, and Abigail build a portal so she can reunite with her dad?”

“Alistair Krei said instant teleportation was science fiction, but he made it into a reality,” Krei’s secretary said. “It would explain the existence of the second Baymax when it was retrieved when Abigail was rescued.”

“This is all too much to take,” Wasabi said.

“It makes sense,” Honey said. “The second Baymax from the video came from the alternate dimension where Callaghan didn’t die, and Abigail wanted to go to that dimension after destroying Krei.”

“Krei!” Fred shouted. “We forgot about him! We have until tonight to go to Akuma Island and rescue him!”

“And we still need to catch Abigail,” Gogo said. “And we’re not going to let her escape into the portal.”

“We need to get our weapons in top shape by then,” Wasabi reminded the team.

“I’ll help you with that, I’ve been forced to make weapons for that lady when she kidnapped me,” Hiro said when he stepped forward. “In return, you guys have to take me with you to Akuma Island.”

“Not on your life, young man!” Aunt Cass shouted, grabbing his arms. “You were missing for weeks and nearly died because of that psycho lady and her father!”

“But I’m responsible for helping her, Aunt Cass!” Hiro protested.

“I don’t want to lose you again!” Cass cried.

“Hiro, listen to your aunt…” Honey begged. “We can’t endanger your life. Tadashi wouldn’t want that.”

However, Hiro was too stubborn. “Tadashi wouldn’t want me to stand by and watch people get hurt,” he said. He looked deeply into his aunt’s worried eyes and touched her face. “Aunt Cass… you’ve done a great job raising this guy for ten years. I wouldn’t ask for a better parent. But please, let me go… Someone has to help.”

Hiro felt strange for echoing his brother’s last words to him, but he’s doing the right thing. Aunt Cass gulped and removed her grip from her nephew.

“Just promise me, all four of you!” she turned sharply to Hiro’s friends. “Don’t let anything happen to him!”

“We promised,” Gogo nodded. Honey gave Fred her cellphone, and he started calling for his butler to bring over their suits and tech.

Hiro cracked up his knuckles. So little time left and he has a lot of work to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Yep, Abigail had a new portal made so she can visit an alternate dimension to be reunited with her dad. Can Hiro and the others reach Akuma Island in time. And what is Tadashi planning to do next...?
> 
> I have a rough plan that that this story will end in about 2-3 chapters. We shall see how much will be progressed but we're almost getting to the end!))


	20. Akuma Island

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abigail finally realized what she had done as a criminal and regretted it. Tadashi spiraled deeper into his hate and thirst for revenge. Hiro and the remaining Big Hero 6 arrive at Akuma Island.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((*Edited a scene near the end of the chapter since I didn't include it after posting this. Ooops.))

Back in Akuma Island and down at the teleporter testing lab, Tadashi is now wearing Abigail’s large, black trench coat after he ripped it off from her.

“You know, this looked better on me. It fits me more than you,” he said, smirking and glancing down at his attire. “I think I’ll keep it as a souvenir.”

Hanging upside by her leg, Abigail looked to be badly beaten up; her hair is all loose and messy, and she has a cut on her upper lip. She appeared to be in immense pain but she continued to give Tadashi a defiant glare, her lips pulled back in a low snarl. Her weapons have been taken from her too and they were thrown to the floor.

“Don’t give me that look,” Tadashi said coolly as he pulled her closer to him. “You’ve done a lot of things to me, and they’re worse than what I’ve just did to you.”

Abigail spat at him. Tadashi slowly wiped the saliva from his helmet’s visor. The microbots swung her around and threw her against a wall.

The young woman slid to the floor and writhed in agonizing pain. She tried to crawl away but Tadashi sauntered over and stepped in front of her.

“Don’t come near me!” Abigail screamed.

“Hey, I’m not giving up on you yet,” he said in a dangerous tone. “Besides, you haven’t told me why you haven’t gone through the portal yet when it’s right over there.”

“Like I’d throw myself into it blindly,” Abigail scoffed, ignoring the sharp pain in her side. “I’m just waiting for the right moment… If you’re so eager to see me gone, let me carry out my plan. You won’t have to see me and Baymax ever again.”

Tadashi narrowed his eyes in suspicions.

“Why would you want to bring Baymax with you?” he inquired. “Is it because he’s from the other dimension?”

He looked over to Baymax. He was about to ask for an answer from the robot when he saw all those bulky armor, giving Baymax the look of a dangerous battlebot. It finally came to Tadashi.

“You’re not just going to reunite with your dad... You’re going to destroy my brother in the dimension where Baymax came from.”

“That kid tried to have my father killed,” Abigail muttered darkly. “I wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine. Just like…”

“… What I’m doing to you right now,” Tadashi finished for her.

Abigail was taken aback. Realization struck her and she discovered she and Tadashi are not so different after all…

Tadashi felt his blood heating up from rage, but his face remained tranquil.

“Like I’m going to let you harm my brother once more,” he said darkly.

He raised a hand and his microbots crawled over to the portal.

“No! Don’t!” Abigail shouted.

“Tadashi, stop!” Krei screamed in terror. “You can’t destroy it that way! You might create a vacuum that’ll suck everything in!”

Tadashi ignored them and the microbots pulled the portal apart, breaking it in half. The vortex immediately disappeared and the pieces fell to the lower sections.

Krei sighed with relief but Abigail was infuriated. She tried to tackle Tadashi but the microbots held her back.

“How could you?!” she shouted into his face. “That was my last chance to see my father again!”

“Well, **_I_** wanted to see Hiro again…” Tadashi replied darkly. “But that would never happen.”

He was about to strike Abigail when he felt a heavy weight on his shoulder. He looked up to see Baymax holding him back.

“That is enough, Tadashi,” Baymax said. “You are emotionally distressed and reacting impulsively. It is hazardous to your health.”

Tadashi frowned and shrugged off Baymax’s hand. “You’re not MY Baymax, you’re not even carrying his nursechip inside you.”

“You are still my creator,” Baymax said. Tadashi noticed a mixture of sadness and disappointment in the robot’s voice but he ignored it. “Hiro gave up trying to terminate Callaghan because of you…”

 _“He did **what?!** ” _Tadashi shouted.

Abigail was surprised at these words too. She then realized she had not seen the rest of the footage from Baymax’s film projector. She only stopped after watching the part Hiro gave an order to have her father killed.

“T-Tadashi, just leave her alone!” Krei pleaded, interrupting the conversation. He struggled to remove himself from iron rods holding him up. “Can’t you see she has enough?!”

“Be quiet!” Tadashi snapped. “Why do you care so much about her anyway? You only cared about making a profit by cutting corners and ignoring sound science!”

“You’re still bitter about that day of the showcase?” Krei demanded, raising an eyebrow. “I told you, I just forgot I had the microbot on me!”

“No… you took it because my brother refused your offer.”

“He wouldn’t if your professor didn’t influence his choice,” said the CEO. “Callaghan would do anything to turn people against me, and it’s because he’s a bitter old man who refused to accept the past and move on.”

“Don’t talk about my father that way,” Abigail growled.

“Abigail,” Krei began. “Please understand this… if your father really loved you that much, he wouldn’t isolate you from everyone else. Abigail, be honest with yourself… Do you actually think the portal will take you to the dimension where Callaghan is alive? It might not even work and you’ll get lost in there again. And there’s a chance you won’t be rescued next time.”

Abigail’s jaw dropped in shock. She was so obsessed with her plan that she didn’t think of that possibility.  

Krei continued, “And even if you did went into the dimension where your father is alive… he might not be the same man you once knew, and he would never accept you the way you are now.”

Abigail fell silent but something about his words ring some sort of truth in it.

“Yes, Miss Abigail,” Baymax spoke up. “When Hiro and I confronted Callaghan, he was not interested saving you from the portal because he assumed you perished. He only cared about terminating Krei and no one else."

"Your father loved you, Abby...” Krei commented. “But he didn’t love you enough to honor you.”

Abigail slowly remembered the times her father coldly neglected her and gave up getting help for her, so he could just leave her stuck hopeless in a wheelchair… **_He gave up on her._**

“I don’t care about your daddy issues,” Tadashi sneered.

He was about to go after her again when Baymax held his arm tight, stopping him.

“Tadashi, no,” Baymax said.

The inventor was briefly reminded of the night Hiro tried to stop him from going inside the burning exhibition hall to save Callaghan…

“Let me go, Baymax,” Tadashi ordered quietly.

“Will terminating Abigail improve your emotional state?” Baymax asked.

“Maybe it will!”

“Is this what Hiro would have wanted?”

 _“Don’t you do this to me!”_ Tadashi struggled to pull his arm away from Baymax’s grip. “I don’t know what Hiro would think—he’s… he’s gone!”

“Hiro is never gone--”

 ** _“Well, why don’t you bring him to me then?!”_** Tadashi interrupted him. His voice is filled with anguish and fury. _“You’re his primary caregiver—you should know where he is! You were supposed to help people—that’s what I created you for!”_

Abigail watched the two of them arguing while she comes up an escape plan.

She quickly decides to use this opportunity to move. She wills up enough strength and got back on her feet. She hurries to her fallen explosives and picks up a couple of bombs. Tadashi sees her and he was about summon a wave of microbots to stop her…

Abigail threw down three smoke bombs. Tadashi was met by a thick cloud of smoke obscuring his vision and it seem to fill up the entire lab.

Krei coughed from the smoke. To his surprise, he was suddenly pulled free and he came face to face with Abigail.

“I’ll explain and apologize later,” she told him.

Tadashi furiously looked around the thick smoke for Abigail through the smoke; he just had her!

 _She won’t get so far though, not with those injuries,_ he thought venomously.

Then he heard a familiar rocket sound and Tadashi realized Baymax isn’t holding his arm anymore. He looked up and saw Baymax flying overhead, carrying both Abigail and Krei. They’re going to escape through the hole in the ceiling.

Tadashi shot out an arm and the microbots quickly grabbed hold of Baymax. The robot tried to fly away but he was then brought down hard, crashing into the lower sections of the lab. Abigail was thrown off and landed several feet away.

She looked up to see Tadashi forming a giant fist made from microbots. Baymax wasted no time shielding Krei from the powerful blow.

The floor underneath them gave away. Abigail watched in horror as the nursebot and the CEO fell into the deep darkness.

“Alistair!” she cried, stricken breathless. She felt like someone just stabbed her lungs.

She then saw Tadashi coming after her again and she made a run for it.

None of them noticed something strange is happening at the moment. Tiny objects lying on the ground began to slowly slide towards the spot where the portal used to stand.

* * *

 It took the rest of the afternoon for Hiro to study and tune up his friends’ weapons in the garage. He couldn’t believe Tadashi built them since his brother always had an aversion towards combat, and was even impressed that they were inspired by his scrapped battlebot ideas.

After he was done with the weapons, he decided to make himself his own superhero suit. He printed out carbon-fiber red pads for his knees, arms and shoulders, and a matching red helmet. He looked a little ridiculous with his armor is placed over his normal clothes, but it would have to do on such short notice.

He zipped up his blue hoodie as his eyes scanned around the garage, remembering the days he built the microbots here and hung out with his brother and their friends. It had been so long since he saw Tadashi and, according to Cass and his friends who told him what happened during the weeks Hiro was gone, his brother went through some drastic changes, some which doesn’t sound good…

His eyes landed on green object lying in the garbage can near his computer. He recognized it as Baymax’s nurse chip and the surface looked burnt and a thin crack broke across the tag which had Tadashi’s name on it.

“Why was this in the trash?” he asked after he picked it up. “This is a crucial part for Tadashi’s robotics project.”

“Tadashi… didn’t want anything to do with it after what happened to Baymax,” Fred replied sadly. “Well, his own Baymax, not the other one. He said it was so damaged, it probably wouldn’t work anymore.”

Hiro became quiet for a moment. “Well, I’m bringing this with us,” he said as he pocketed the chip. “Besides, it would seem wrong if we don’t bring a bit of Baymax along with us.”

“I can’t believe the police didn’t confiscate some of these stuff after they suspected Tadashi being a criminal,” Wasabi said, shaking his head. “I guess they’re just incompetent sometimes.”

He saw Gogo glaring at him a little, and he added quickly, “Except for your sister!”

Hiro quickly finished his own weapon: a pair of electromagnetic gloves that can pull and push away metallic objects. This idea came to him after Abigail often caught him trying to escape many times, and he would have used them to protect himself from the microbots. He felt this is a perfect opportunity to use his new tech, and he won’t depend so much on his friends.

He tested his gloves on some scraps of metal lying around. He used one gloved hand to pull them by a magnetic force and another hand to push them away. His aunt and his friends watched his progress, cheering for him.

“Magnets make Freddie happy!” Fred clapped enthusiastically.

* * *

Abigail hid behind a large metal pillar in the shadows. She waited to make sure the coast is clear so she could move from her spot. She doesn’t want to imagine what would happen if Tadashi found her… She’s panting so hard, her chest was heaving and rising in rapid movements. Her legs felt like turning into jelly any time. Paralyzed with fear, she tried to stay calm by pressing her head against the pillar and took deep, slow breathes.

The last time she was this scared, she was trapped alone and awake in her pod while it floated in the beautifully surreal but terrifying portal dimension. She wanted to be rescued so bad that she started crying out for Krei and her father to save her.

“Daddy…” she whimpered.

Heavy tears fell from Abigail’s eyes as soon she thought of Baymax and Krei’s words about her father earlier. Did her love for him made her overlook his callous behavior towards her pain? She knew her father started that fire to steal a boy’s invention but she never saw anything wrong with it. Or maybe she did and refused to believe it. Her stomach became sick but she had to force herself to accept the harsh truth.

 _What have I done?_  She thought in anguish.  _I used and killed my colleagues, my friend Candace, and an innocent boy… I’m no different than my father after all._

She wanted to scream and cry at her stupidity and cruelty, for allowing herself to commit so many horrible actions just for a chance to reunite with her despicable father. Her sorrow came to an abrupt end when she heard the clicking and buzzing sound of the microbots approaching. She wished she picked up more explosives, she’s completely defenseless.

Abigail tried to move again but she clutched her side, groaning. She hoped she didn’t break a few ribs. Biting down the sharp pain, she staggered away as quickly as she can. She saw the control tower up ahead…

* * *

Abigail sneaked inside the control room and locked the door. It won’t keep Tadashi out forever. She opened a small door under the desk controls, searching for something. She found several wires and a sign that reads, “DANGER: DO NOT TOUCH.”

At that moment, the microbots ripped the door off and Tadashi strolled into the room. He smirked when he finally cornered Abigail.

“I told you before, Abigail, I’m not giving up on you,” he chuckled darkly. “I want to relish every moment before I finally destroy you for good?”

Abigail stayed in her corner, sitting on the floor and her back against the wall. She isn’t terrified anymore.

“Is this the kind of retribution you want to honor Hiro?” she asked quietly. “This won’t solve anything…”

“Don’t you dare say his name,” Tadashi growled. “And did you just get a change of heart? It’s kinda little too late for you, isn't it”

“I know, and I regretted for not doing it sooner,” Abigail agreed, wheezing. She’s so tired, from all the running and scheming for her revenge. It was all pointless for her now. “I was so angry, all I could think of hurting someone…”

Tadashi stared at her.

“Your brother believed you died in the fire and he missed you every day. I understood his pain,” she continued, lowering her head. “But I was selfish with my own pain, I was cruel to him. He and I almost became friends…”

“Professor Callaghan told me once that you were a botfighter once, it was all you wanted to do,” Tadashi told her. “And so did Hiro except bofighting is illegal.”

“ _Gambling_  in botfighting is illegal,” Abigail corrected him.

Her hands were shaking as she removed one of her gloves.

“I guess we’re not so different… But I’m never going to forgive you and what your dad did,” Tadashi said.

“I know,” the young woman nodded. Her eyes shone brightly, filled with despair. “But I’m not going to give you the satisfaction of letting you kill me. You lunatic.”

“Oh?” Tadashi raised an eyebrow. He wondered if she’s bluffing.

“By the way,” Abigail said. She just remembered something important. “Your friends are probably on their way over to this island. I did kidnapped Alistair right under their noses after all.”

“My friends are coming?” Tadashi asked in disbelief.

“I’ve invited all those people... It’s too bad I’ll never give them a show.”

Abigail’s bare hand grabbed the dangerous-looking wires and pulled them.

 ** _“NO!!”_**  Tadashi screamed.

It was too late to stop her.

Abigail grinned with victory as the electrocution course throughout her body. Tadashi's angry cries echoed inside the room.

* * *

The sun soon started to set and everyone went to Fred’s estate where Heathcliff is waiting for them with the family helicopter. Krei’s secretary decided to remain behind with Aunt Cass but she gave the butler instructions where Akuma Island is located.

Cass kept close to Hiro, trying to cherish any remaining moment left with her nephew.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” she asked, nervously running a hand through her hair. “I can’t do much with fighting, but…”

Hiro stopped her.

“Aunt Cass,” he began softly. He too was afraid that this might be the last time he'll see her, but he made a promise that he would never put her through any more grief ever again. “I’ll be home safe.”

Cass puts on a brave smile. Before Hiro can join his friends inside the helicopter, he was suddenly pulled into an embrace.

“Last hug,” Cass said before she finally let him go. The helicopter left the estate and flew over the city. Hiro sat between Honey and Gogo, staring at his knees in deep thought.

“Killer view,” Gogo commented, peering out the window.

Wasabi is frozen in his seat and huge beads of sweat roll down his face.

“Uh, y-yeah,” Wasabi gulped, his voice wavering slightly. “If wasn’t terrified of heights, I’d probably love this. But I’m terrified of heights, so I don’t love this!”

Fred was his usual eager self. “I bet you’re wondering about all the superhero stuff we did, Hiro!” he said. “Where did you want to start, how Big Hero 6 started? Our first battle?”

“Actually, I just wanted to know what exactly happened to my brother last night,” said Hiro hesitantly. “Aunt Cass told me he ran away from home when the police came to interrogate him… She didn’t say how.”

“He used your microbots, the ones he got back from Abigail,” Honey explained to him. “He had the police chasing him through the city and he escaped into the bay. We tried to stop him, Hiro, but he wouldn’t listen…”

“But we’ll find him again, right?” Hiro asked.

“Hiro, he changed so much,” Gogo said, looking away from him. “It’s better this way…”

Suddenly, her visor began blink. As well as Honey and Wasabi’s visors.

“What’s going on?” Hiro demanded, confused.

“Tadashi’s microbot trackers!” Wasabi replied. “We tried using these when we were looking for Abigail, and then Tadashi when he ran off with the microbots last night. He must be close!”

“We’re approaching Akuma Island, guys!” Fred announced when he looked out the window.

“Tadashi must be at the island too,” Hiro commented. He was now desperate to see him again.

He saw his friends looking at him with solemn expressions.

“Are you sure you want to see him?” Wasabi inquired. “We don’t want you to get hurt.”

“He’s my brother, he would never hurt me,” Hiro said. After he and the others stop Abigail, maybe he can find his brother in the island and convince him to come home.

* * *

"This isn't fair... This isn't fair..." Tadashi repeated all over under his breath as his microbots lashed out and attacked everything in the lab. He was filled with so much rage since his chance of revenge was robbed from him.

 _"How dare she! HOW DARE SHE, THAT COWARD!!"_ he screamed.

He fell down onto his knees and clutched his helmet. He wanted to bang his head against the floor in frustration but he didn't want to risk destroying the neurotransmitter. After several minutes in silence, he sat up and inhaled deeply.

Tadashi may not bring justice to his brother's memory, but at least he had a new goal now; with the microbots, he will hunt down every criminal in San Fransokyo and punish them. When he took out those three despicable men in the alley not so long ago, it felt rather good.

"Apprehending these kinds of scum isn't good enough for them," he said out loud. "They should all burn like what happened to Callaghan... And if anyone stops me, then--"

He thought of his friends and he recalled Abigail saying something earlier that they'll be coming to the island. He knew they won't accept or even forgive him once they knew what he's planning, but he doesn't care about what they think anymore. He even remembered their alternate dimensional selves stopping Hiro's revenge on Professor Callaghan in that one recording footage he found.

They never understood him. All they ever did was held him back. He should have never let them help him... And they're the only ones left standing in his way.

Tadashi's heart grew ice cold and he got the microbots to lift him into the air.

"... Then that's their mistake," he finished his sentence.

* * *

The helicopter landed on an aircraft field. The gang left Heathcliff and their ride behind as they walk down the trail leading to an entrance of the old facility.

“Guys, this whole place is quarantined,” Wasabi said in a trembling voice. He was staring at a sign in a nearby fence.

“Stop whining, woman up,” Gogo ignored him.

_“But there’s a skull face on this one!”_

“Ooh, that means death,” Fred giggled under his costume.

They found a huge metal door which they couldn’t get in. Wasabi stepped up and cut through the door with his laser blades. The team hesitated for a moment, but no one is as nervous as Hiro.

Hiro remembered how he used to hate this place and he’s worried that Abigail might be waiting for them, or is watching them at this moment... His hand moves over the pocket of his hoodie jacket and he could feel the outline of Baymax’s nursechip. This gave him the courage he needed.

* * *

Hiro and the team stuck close together as they moved down a dark hall. Fred is singing his own theme song to raise up everyone’s spirits.

 _“Six intrepid friends led by Fred, their leader Fred,”_ he sang. _“Fred’s Angels. Uh-uh-Uh. Fred’s Angels…”_

“Fred, why is it every time we infiltrate some spooky building, you just have to sing something,” Wasabi asked in exasperation.

“Clearly, you’re not a fan of the classics,” Fred mumbled.

“Are you sure you know where you’re going, genius?” Gogo asked Hiro.

“I’ve never been to this part of the facility before,” Hiro answered. He didn’t realize how huge this building is, and he didn’t want the team to get lost or, worse, get caught by Abigail before they could even find her.

“The building seems to interfering with the microbot trackers,” Honey said when she tried to adjust her visor. “I can’t seem to get a good location.”

“Great, it’s broken!” Wasabi threw his hands in the air.

“But Tadashi’s here,” Hiro told them. His heart was pounding with anticipation. He’s so close finding his brother…

Without thinking straight, Hiro made an impatient dash down the hall. He ignored his friends shouting after him far behind. He could only think of finding Tadashi.

He came to the end of the hall and opened a door which led to… another hall, though brighter and bigger.

Frustrated and desperate, he screamed out, “Tadashi!”

He ran off again and went around a corner. By the time his friends finally catch up, they already lost him.

“His aunt’s gonna kill us,” Fred said sheepishly.

“He’s going to get himself killed!” Wasabi shouted.

Gogo turn to the others.

“We’ll have to split up and look for Hiro,” she said. “Wasabi, you come with me. Honey, you and Fred go down that way. If you see Krei, you better bring him to the helicopter.”

“Take care, you guys!” Honey said as she and Fred hurried away.

Wasabi began to worry. “Gogo, I have a bad feeling that we might not run into Abigail here…” he commented.

Gogo knew what he was talking about and she shared the same feeling. Knowing what Tadashi might do with the microbots under his control, Gogo hoped that the she and Wasabi will find Abigail before their former friend does.

Unfortunately, the team regrouped without Hiro after they failed to find him in the entire floor.

"Freddie and I checked the cafeteria, but Hiro isn't there," Honey reported. "However, Freddie wanted a quick snack in the kitchen and he did hinder our search."

"I can't do this superhero stuff on an empty snack, Honey Lemon!" Fred whined.

"Well, Gogo and I found this room full of empty trash bins. The whole place was a mess," Wasabi said. "It looked like an aftermath of a fight."

Gogo placed her hands on her hips.

"We'll have to go down further," she said after popping her gum

* * *

Somewhere, Hiro came to the lowest level of the facility where a lot of storage crates and boxes are kept. It looked like nobody have came down here for years and there was undisturbed dust everywhere.

Hiro found it hard to breathe in this place, and he was panting from all that running. He cleared his thoughts and realized he made a stupid mistake running off and leaving his friends behind.

"Darn. I got crazy finding Tadashi, I don't even know where to look," he talked to himself as he walked around the room.

He stopped when he saw a giant hole formed in the ceiling. Something huge and heavy must have fallen into the room from a great height. Lying under the hole and covered in debris is a tall, big robot which seemed to be shielding a human figure as though it was protecting it. Hiro recognized the robot.

"Baymax?" he called out and ran over to the robot.

He tried to lift some of the heavy wood off from his friend when Baymax slowly stood up, the debris easily falling off from his body. Hiro saw Krei lying on the floor and he was unharmed.

"Hiro, you're alive," Baymax stated, looking down at his patient. "I thought you didn't survive the explosion. I apologize for attempting to harm you. Abigail had violated my programming."

"N-no, it's okay, buddy!" Hiro shook his head, smiling happily. "I'm just so happy to see your old self again. I thought you'd be a heartless fighting machine forever. Oh! I just remembered..." His hand reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out the green nursechip. "Sorry that this is damaged a little, but I think this will work."

Hiro slid the chip inside the port. Baymax immediately accessed his caregiving matrix, as well as new data that intrigued him.

"Hiro, I was informed that you died in the fire," the robot told him, tilting his head in confusion.

"No, I survived. Abigail kidnapped me, remember?" Hiro reminded him.

"I seem to remember all kinds of different memories in my programming," Baymax commented. "I have concerns. For some reason, both you and Tadashi are my primary patients."

The teen laughed and then he remembered his brother. "Baymax, is Tadashi somewhere in the building?" he asked. "I need you to take me to him."

Baymax hesitated.

"I cannot do that. Out of concern for your emotional health."

"Baymax, please," Hiro begged. He was on the verge of breaking down. "You don't know how much I wanted to see my brother again. You wanted to keep me healthy, right? Then do this for me."

Then he heard Krei coughing from the floor.

"Oh, and before that, we'll have to take Krei to safety first. Heathcliff will take care of him."

After much reluctance, the nursebot then allowed Hiro to climb on his back. As much he did not want to do this, he recalled Tadashi demanding him to "bring Hiro to him." Maybe the sight of his little brother alive might improve his emotional and mental health this time.

He could only hope.

* * *

 "Face it, guys, we're lost," Wasabi grumbled in dismay. He and the rest of the team walked down another hall.

"Hey, I know what can cheer you up," Fred suggested.

"No singing!"

"Hey guys," Honey called out to them after she noticed a door that had been opened ajar. "You might want to see this."

Everyone was on high alert as they entered the testing lab. The place appeared to have been badly damaged. In the other side of the room, a huge circular structure that looked like a was destroyed.

"This must be the lab where Project Silent Sparrow was tested," Gogo said.

Then, Honey said, "Gogo."

The tall girl was pointing to a flickering light. It was coming from the control room in the tower. The team entered into the control room and saw a horrifying sight before them. Abigail is lying on the corner, her face full of burns and minor bruises, and her hair all over her eyes. She appeared to be lifeless and her hand was still clutching the electrical wires.

"Oh no..." Honey gasped. "She's been electric shocked..."

"Stay back, guys!" Wasabi shouted as he walked carefully to Abigail's body. "I'll take care of this. Fred, use your communicator to get Heathcliff call for emergency assistance. If he has any AED available in the helicopter, tell him to bring it over as fast as he can."

"On it!" Fred nodded.

Acting quickly and calmly as he can,  Wasabi shuts off the electrical current at a nearby circuit breaker and uses his cape to remove the electrical wires from Abigail's hand. He was glad Tadashi made it non-conductive for him.

"Abigail, can you hear me?" he gently called out to her as he tapped her shoulders. No response from her.

He quickly checked for her pulse and breathing.

"Is... Is she dead?" Honey asked. She and everyone else stared numbly at Abigail's body.

"I hope not," Wasabi said, shaking his head. He began to administer CPR on the unconscious woman.

"Heathcliff's on his way here with the AED. He's going to fly Abigail to the hospital as fast as he can," Fred said. "This is messed up. I feel like I'm going to be sick..."

Wasabi repeatedly presses down his interlocked hands on her chest multiple times before slowly and firmly breathes down her mouth. He cannot afford to stop to rest until help for Abigail finally arrives.

"I didn't know you could do this," Gogo muttered in awe.

"I've always come prepared, remember?" Wasabi laughed nervously while he continued performing chest compressions.

"What exactly happened to her?" Honey wondered out loud. "And where's Krei and Tadashi?"

Suddenly, a familiar sound drew their attention to the lab. It was the sound of buzzing microbots. Gogo looked out the control room window. Tadashi wearing a black trench coat came into view and he was standing on a platform of microbots.

They watched Tadashi raise his arm and the microbots hurled a chunk of debris at the control tower.

Tadashi smirked as he watched the debris smashed into the tower's base and leveled the entire structure. It was so easy, he couldn't believe they easily got themselves killed. Yet, he felt his heart pained with a tiny amount of regret.

They were his closest friends and he killed them in cold blood.

He squeezed the tears out from his eyes. "What's done is done," he told himself. "I can't go back anymore."

Tadashi tried to force all those good memories he shared with his friends out his mind; all those weeks where the group used hang out in Aunt Cass' garage, from just enjoying a pizza party with Hiro to Tadashi building all the weapons and suits for his friends to catch Abigail. Those days seemed so far away like a distant dream, and a part of him wished he could go back to that normal life again...

His hand touched his helmet where his lips supposed to be. He could still remember how warm Gogo's lips were on him...

Tadashi sighed and turned away from the rubble of what's left of the control tower. One day, he will forget all of this. He was ready to command the microbots to raise him up through the hole in the lab's ceiling when Baymax flew into room from the huge hole on the floor (where he fell through with Krei earlier) in full force. Baymax then landed on his feet nearby, standing in front view of Tadashi. The inventor was annoyed to see the robot still around. 

"So, you came back to stop me?" he shouted. "Have a taste of this, big guy!"

He angrily sent a stream of microbots at Baymax. Hiro suddenly popped out from Baymax's back and hold out his hand.

"TADASHI, WAIT!" he shouted.

Hiro's electromagnetic glove pushed the microbots back in full blast. The force knocked Tadashi back and sent him tumbling down. His helmet flew off and all the microbots instantly fell down.

Tadashi sat up, rubbing his sore head. He did not know what just happened, it came too fast for him to react. For one moment, he thought he heard his brother's voice.

He looked up and his eyes grew wide in disbelief.

He saw his brother.

Alive and in the flesh.

"... Hiro?" he called out. He was feeling a mixture of confusion and shock.

Hiro jumped down from Baymax's back and ran towards him, almost tripping in his excitement. His eyes were filled with jubilant tears.

"Tadashi!" he cried. He removed his helmet so his brother could recognize his face better.

Hiro threw himself into Tadashi, burying his face into his brother's shoulder and squeezed him into a hug. Heavy tears roll down his face and they began to soak Tadashi's coat. Tadashi did not return the hug. His mind was stuck in a daze and he could only stare into nothingness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Hiro and Tadashi are finally reunited, but at what cost? Is Abigail really dead? Can Hiro really convince his brother to come back? Find out in the next chapter!))


	21. Tadashi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two brothers finally reunite... only for them to depart once again.

Back in Fred’s estate, Aunt Cass and Krei’s secretary waited in the backyard keeping vigilant watch for the helicopter to return. Cass is nervously pacing back and forth while Krei’s secretary sat on a chair lost in her thoughts.

“Will Hiro and the others be okay?” Cass asked her.

Krei’s secretary sighed and removed her glasses to clean them. “Abigail is formidable but her anger is both her strength and weakness,” she answered. “However, since they’ve encountered her couple of times before, they probably know how to overcome every trick of hers. I’m positive they’ll survive.”

She then rubbed her forehead in worry.

“I hoped they’ll manage to destroy that unstable portal completely,” she continued, sweating in worry. “Abigail activated it for so long it could lead to terrible results.”

Cass quickly turned to the woman. Her eyebrows raised in concern.

“What kind of terrible results?” she questioned.

“Let’s just say Abigail should not try to travel to another dimension…”

* * *

_Tadashi leaned over the rail of a wooden bridge overlooking the college campus. The Robotics Lab building was seen distance, illuminating so bright and filled of new beginnings._

_He could hear Hiro walking up to him and saw him leaning against the rail too beside him. The two brothers shared jokes before they gaze peacefully over the campus and just enjoying the evening air._

_“Welcome to nerd school, nerd,” Tadashi said, his voice filled with love and pride._

_Hiro smiled, shaking his head a little._

_“Hey, if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be here,” he said shyly. “So, you know, thanks… for not giving up on me.”_

_Tadashi smiled back. Hiro cleared his throat, he could feel his face burning with embarrassment. He’s not used being this sappy, especially around his big brother._

_“So, why did you bring me alone here for?” he asked. “It can’t just be about my fly being open, is it?”_

_Tadashi laughed a little but he became quiet for a moment, mentally preparing for his speech he’s been preparing to tell to his brother if he did well in the SFIT showcase. Before he can open his mouth, he heard the distant sound of terrified people screaming…_

_“Tadashi?” Hiro tried to call out to him, but his voice sounded far away. “Tadashi…”_

* * *

“Tadashi.”

Hiro pulled away from his hug and looked up to his dazed brother; Tadashi appeared to be so pale and thin, and he has heavy bags under his eyes due to stress and lack of sleep. Yet, Hiro was filled with so much uncontained happiness, he couldn’t believe he’s seeing and touching his big brother again.

“I’m—I’m so glad you’re alive,” Hiro sniffled, pulling up his bangs.

Tadashi was finally brought back down to earth and his eyes finally met Hiro’s. His hands suddenly ran over Hiro’s face and hair, trying to recognize every tiny detail and hoping this is not some impostor tricking his senses.

“Are… are you really my brother?” Tadashi whispered in a tiny voice.

“Who else could I be, you big nerd?” Hiro replied.

Tadashi recognized the familiar sass in that tone and he was soon overwhelmed with a mixture of strange emotions; he was jubilant, angry, and… terrified. Tears sting his eyes and they roll down his face.

“Are you hurt? Are you okay?” he asked wildly. He began to hold his breath.

Hiro nodded. This conversation felt so familiar he was on the verge of crying again. Tadashi then buried his face on his brother’s shoulder, his body trembling.

“Then what were you thinking, scaring me like that! You knucklehead!” he sobbed as his hands clutched on Hiro’s back. He could recognize his brother’s scent, it’s really him. “I thought I lost you forever!”

“Y-you’re one to talk, you ran into a burning building!” Hiro hiccupped.

He wiped away his tears and lovingly brushed his brother’s hair. In response, Tadashi lovingly pressed his forehead against Hiro’s and gazed deeply into his eyes.

“For one moment, I thought I was just seeing things,” Tadashi whispered. “But the moment I feel your skin and breathing, and hear your voice… I knew you were real.”

“You don’t know how much I’ve long to hold you like this,” Hiro said, gently nudging his forehead against his brtoher’s. “I’ve had dreams that you survived and were just trying to find me, because you’ve never given up on me before.”

Tadashi became silent and a horrible guilt gripped his heart.

“But it’s alright now, we’ve finally found each other,” Hiro sighed softly. “And I’m not going to let you go again…”

He was suddenly taken aback when Tadashi started laughing; it made his blood turn cold and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

“Tadashi…?”

“It’s not alright!” Tadashi choked out, now crying and laughing at the same time. He couldn’t believe all his efforts were wasted. He felt like a fool…

Hiro watched his brother pulled away from the hug and stood up. Tadashi dried his eyes and then staggered to pick up his helmet. He stares at his reflection on the cracked visor and saw how ghastly he appeared. Did he always look like this?

“I thought you were dead for a long time, it messed me up so bad…” he said. He avoided Hiro’s eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to look at them at this moment.

He felt Hiro hugged him from behind and he froze up in fear.

“It’s okay, Tadashi. I understand how you felt since I thought you were gone too,” Hiro told him. “But now we’re together again, we can go home together.

“Hiro, it’s not easy. At least for me,” Tadashi said. A dreadful thought entered his mind and his stomach tightened; did Hiro know what he had done and why he ran away with the microbots? “If I go back with you, I will be arrested and we’ll be separated again.”

“Aunt Cass and everyone else told me what happened to you,” Hiro stated.

Baymax silently watched the brothers talking to each other. He then medically scans them; there was an elevated improvement in Hiro’s brainwaves while Tadashi is experiencing a mood swing.

He began scanning around the lab and observed something unusual. Small rubble and other objects began sliding towards the end of the room where the broken half of the portal stood as though they were being pulled by an invisible force. Two electrical generators began to hum and vibrate with full energy.

The two brothers did not even seem to notice what’s happening at the moment.

“What did they exactly tell you, Hiro?” Tadashi asked suspiciously. He spun around to face his younger brother.

“That you became a superhero and formed a team to help people,” Hiro answered. He dug inside his hoodie and pulled out a familiar pair of gloved gauntlets. They’re the same ones filled with cable wires which Tadashi invented. “You built this and a lot of cool tech to make you and our friends stronger. It’s so cool, I didn’t know you have it in you.”

Tadashi took the gauntlets from Hiro and put them on. A nostalgia feeling washed over him yet he felt cold all over.

Hiro became hesitant before he continued, “They also told me other things about what you did and... become.”

 “And did you actually believe them?”

Hiro was surprised to see how dark his brother’s face and tone went. He never seen his brother like this before. He remembered Aunt Cass telling him something earlier when he came home.

* * *

_“W-what are you talking about?" Hiro asked slowly. "Tadashi died in the fire, didn't he?"_

_Aunt Cass calmly placed her hands on Hiro's shoulders and looked at him straight in the eye. She looked troubled._

_"Hiro," she began. "Promise me that you'll forgive your brother."_

_“Of course, I would,” Hiro said. “Why would I not do that?”_

_“Your brother did a lot of things,” Cass explained. “I don’t know what happened to him, but he changed so much after you were gone.”_

_Hiro stared at her in confusion. Cass sighed and looked away._

_“Let me show you. Then you’ll understand…”_

_Cass took Hiro upstairs to the brothers’ room and Hiro saw, to his horror and shock, how completely messy Tadashi’s side of the room is. There are torn papers scattered everywhere, his belongings from his desks were thrown to the floor. Hiro moved around his foot stepped over something. He looked down saw his old battlebot Megabot lying on the floor, next to a picture of himself that seemed to be ripped in half._

_“Did… Tadashi do this?” Hiro asked._

_“Hiro, I’m sorry for showing this to you,” Aunt Cass apologized. Then she gave him a newspaper clipping showing a blurry photo of a mysterious vigilante wearing a sentai-inspired costume, and his pair gauntlets filled cable wire._

_“I believe your brother tried to moonlight as a superhero to cope with his grief and pain of losing you,” she said. “I don’t know what he exactly did to get half the police of San Fransokyo to suspect him as a criminal, but… I think I was also responsible for discouraging him to continue his job. I was so worried of losing him, I didn’t think of his feelings--”_

_Hiro silenced her with a hug and he looked up to her._

_“Aunt Cass, do you really think my brother is a bad guy?” he asked her. “Nobody knows him better than us, he would never hurt people! He tried to save Professor Callaghan from the fire, remember?”_

_“I know, sweetie,” Aunt Cass sighed and rubbed his back. “I’m just asking you to forgive him. He was just reckless... You'll forgive your reckless brother, won't you?”_

* * *

“No, because I know you, Tadashi,” Hiro said, shaking his head. “I know you’ll never hurt anyone. I mean, you’ve built Baymax to help people. Tell him, Baymax!”

Hiro hastily looked towards the nursebot, waiting for him to answer and convince Tadashi as well.

“Hiro, Tadashi, I suggest we leave this place as soon as possible,” Baymax commented. “It is for both of your safety.”

“Got it, but gimme a few more minutes,” said Hiro casually, not noticing the concerned tone in Baymax’s voice. He didn’t bother to question why Baymax even said that that. He then looked back at his brother.

“And we can tell our friends that you’re still the same person before. The others!” Hiro suddenly remembered and slapped his forehead. “I got separated from them when we came to this island to stop Abigail. We have to find them.”

“There’s no need for that,” Tadashi said, smiling in an odd way and placing a hand on Hiro’s shoulder. “We’re back together.”

“Um, Tadashi… they’re our _friends_ ,” Hiro protested, staring at him. “They brought me here so I can meet you again. They’re probably fighting Abigail at this moment somewhere in this facility--”

“And you don’t have to worry about Abigail anymore,” Tadashi interrupted him. His dark smile grew wider. “She can’t hurt us again, I made sure of that.”

“… W-what are you talking about, Tadashi?” Hiro asked nervously.

Baymax uttered in a monotone voice, “Last time I was here, you were trying to eliminate Abigail Callaghan. Did you do it, Tadashi?”

Hiro gasped and looked back at his brother. Tadashi narrowed his eyes and expression became hard and still.

“Why should that matter to you?” he asked coldly. “She had it coming for a long time.”

“Regardless of her crimes, she is still a human being,” Baymax told him. “And so were your friends. And yet you pushed them away when they wanted to help you.”

“How would you know that?!” Tadashi angrily shouted. “You’re a different robot from a different dimension--you shouldn’t have remembered all that!”

“Hiro retrieved my caregiver chip and placed it back in me,” Baymax replied. “I remembered everything, Tadashi, from the moment you activated me in your room. The therapy treatments, the days you upgraded my suit… Even the name of the boy we rescued from those two botfighters.”

Tadashi stepped back in outrage, he was breathing heavily through his nose.

“You are still my patient, Tadashi,” Baymax continued as he approached him. “I want to help you.”

“I don’t need any more of your stupid treatments, Baymax,” Tadashi growled. “I’ve been feeling loads of better after realizing what I wanted.”

“What do you mean?” Hiro inquired, now feeling terrified and confused seeing his brother transformed into someone different.

At that moment, a flashing burst of explosion broke out on the center of the broken half-portal. The two electrical generators began emitting powerful sparks. Hiro and Tadashi staggered backwards and were startled to see what looked to be shining crescent moon-shaped vortex that formed inside the portal.

* * *

The team of Big Hero 6 coughed in the dust but they were all saved in the nick of time. As soon as Honey saw Tadashi was about to throw the huge concrete block at them, she hurriedly popped out a couple of chem-balls and covered herself and everyone else in a chemical dome. It prevent the rubble from crushing them but they were all buried and trapped.

“Not bad, Honey Lemon!” Fred complimented her.

“Oh, it’s just my smart thinking and superfast fingers,” Honey smiled a little, blushing.

Abigail suddenly began to cough and she groaned in pain. Her eyes remained shut but the team were relieved to see her alive.

“Abigail, can you hear us?” Wasabi gently called out to her.

“Yes…” she wheezes in a low, raspy voice. She barely recognizes their voices but she doesn’t care.

“You’re going to be okay,” Wasabi told her.

“We still need to get out of here,” Gogo urged.

“Um, how do we do that, vice-leader?” Fred asked curiously. “If we try to force our way out, we’ll get smooshed!”

Wasabi’s eyes lit up with an idea. “Look for things from a different angle…” he muttered.

He figured the best way to escape was to go down. Using his laser blades, he dug through the floor. Everyone then carefully slid down on a bouncy chemical slide concocted by Honey. They finally reached the bottom of lower lab and Gogo looked at Wasabi with awed respect.

“Gary Maki, this is twice in a row you’ve amazed me,” said Gogo. She looked over her shoulder and gave Wasabi a tiny smirk.

He was taken aback. “Hey, you’ve used my real name--” he blushed.

“We’re so used to our nicknames, our real names sound weird to us now,” Honey commented. Then she added in a mild shudder, “At least Honey Lemon sounded better than Carmelita.”

Fred cradled Abigail’s body since she was still too weak to move.

“I never gave him one before, but I have a mind right now to give Tadashi his own nickname after all,” he grumbled. “However, I can’t say it in the presence of children.”

Wasabi said, raised an eyebrow, incredulous. “We’re in college.”

“Honey and I will take Abigail to Heathcliff,” Fred told the team. “We’ll rejoin you as soon as possible.”

Gogo and Wasabi watched their friends ran off and carry Abigail to safety. Then they heard a loud noise coming from the upper lab. They looked at each other and nod together; they knew what to do next.

It’s time to settle things with their best friend once and for all.

* * *

“What’s going on here?!” Tadashi demanded, staring at the portal whirring a strange noise.

“Abigail told me that she built this portal based on an old, unfinished design from a secret file she found on her dad’s computer,” Hiro explained over the loud whirring coming from the portal and generators. “Krei’s secretary and the engineers told her to not go through with it because it’s dangerous!”

“But I thought I destroyed it!” Tadashi shouted. “I used the microbots to break it in half!”

“Abigail must have kept it on and activated for so long that even if you did destroyed the ring structure without shutting it down properly, a portal can still be created!” Hiro screamed.

Hiro saw steel and concrete debris began moving toward the distorted vortex. He too can feel himself being pulled but he can still stand straight and firm on his feet. The Hamada brothers saw a fist-sized concrete sucked into the vortex and it immediately disintegrates into tiny particles. Terror struck them speechless and a terrible realization hit them: Abigail unknowingly must have made a miscalculation into making this portal.

It’s not going to take anything through another dimension at all. It’s just going to suck and destroy everything until nothing is left.

Even the memories of Krei’s words about tampering with the portal brought chills down Tadashi’s spine.

“What do we do?” Tadashi asked, looking worriedly at Hiro.

“We can’t stay here,” said Hiro as he stared at the portal and the generators. “We might have to go far away from this place. Hopefully the portal will implode from all that powerful energy.”

“Yes… let’s go far away together,” Tadashi said in a low voice, realizing how much Hiro would be endangered. A dark shadow crept over him...

Tadashi saw Baymax moving towards Hiro’s direction to assist him. Instinctively, he donned his helmet and the microbots came back to life. Without warning, they knocked back Baymax away with brutal force. Hiro tried to help his robot friend but the microbots grabbed him and he was now trapped in a tight grip.

“Why would you do that to Baymax?!” Hiro screamed. He was pulled back towards Tadashi, who is now being lifted up by microbots.

“I’m sorry, but look—I can’t let you get into any more harm if I leave you again,” Tadashi said softly as he ruffled his little brother’s hair. It came off creepy rather than loving.

“But you just… that's your own creation!” the younger Hamada brother stammered.

“And you're my brother,” Tadashi stated. He looked possessed and his eyes crazed with obsession. “I refuse to lose you again.”

“Tadashi, are you crazy?!” Hiro demanded, struggling. “We don’t have enough time--we have to get out of here!”

“Of course,” Tadashi said with a tiny smile. “Your life is my top priority, more important than anyone else. “

“Tadashi, please…”

“Hiro,” Tadashi began calmly. “Before Callaghan started the fire, I was just a naïve fool thinking I could change the world and its future if I put my brains into good use. I wanted to be everyone’s protector and nurturer. Yet after you were taken away from me, my eyes had been opened. I saw how cruel and apathetic people can be. Some who are willing to hurt innocent people while others just prefer to stand and watch someone get hurt without lifting a finger to help… The whole city is full of them and no matter how many people I tried to save or change them, nothing goes right for me. Then one night, something snapped inside me…”

He stopped as all the memories of the past few weeks came to him in flashing images. He could remember the terrified expressions of Yuan and the Banzai Brothers’ faces in the cold rain...

“My hands have been soaked with so much blood, but I didn’t regret it,” he continued. “In fact, it made me understand a new goal for me. With your microbots, I can just hunt down every criminal with ease and not worry of losing a fight.” A serene smile graced his lips and he closed his eyes a bit, casually thinking of that future.

Hiro lost his breath and he could feel his heart slowly breaking. Is this what his friends and aunt meant about him being “changed”? They only mentioned that he grew aloof and grouchy, but this is way unexpected. Seeing his brother’s apathy towards his friends and him admitting that he did something to Abigail… Hiro felt his dream falling apart before him.

“Hiro, we don’t have to be separated,” Tadashi said. “We can watch over San Fransokyo together, using our skills and brains. We can do it together as brothers. And I’ll always stay close to you, protecting you like I’ve always done before since we were kids… What do you say, little guy?” He smiled hopefully.

“T-Tadashi, I…” Hiro stammered. He thought of it slowly and he clenched his hands into fists. “… I just wanted to be with my family again. I can’t do this, Tadashi.”

“Hiro, there’s no future where we can be together,” Tadashi protested. He could feel the portal’s vacuum slowly getting stronger. “You have to decide right now.”

“Tadashi,” Hiro begged, holding onto his brother’s arm in desperation. “What you’re planning to do… isn’t what I wanted you to do. I know the city is full of bad people, but it doesn’t give you the right punish them for their crimes. That’s not justice at all. You’ll be as bad and selfish as they are!”

“No, I won’t,” Tadashi frowned. He was getting more frustrated by the minute. “They all deserved to be taught a lesson. Even if I’ll have to kill them to teach them that.”

“Tadashi, I’m alive and right here! You don’t have to do this for my sake!” Hiro cried. “Didn’t you want to help people?”

 _“Not anymore!”_ Tadashi snapped.

Hiro stares, horrified. He couldn’t believe this is happening to him. All he could do is stare helplessly while fighting the urge to scream and cry.

“How could you do this, Tadashi?” he said, looking away with sadness. “You were my hero and best friend… Is this what mom and dad would have wanted?”

Hiro paled when he saw how tranquil Tadashi’s expression with his dark eyes were filled with icy rage. He’s beginning to resemble less of a loving sibling and more into a spiteful stranger.

“Mom and dad made me promise to look after you,” he said in a tired, empty voice, lowering his head. His fingers lazily brush through Hiro’s messy hair. “Please don’t fight back, Hiro… The last thing I want is for us to become enemies.”

A familiar maglev disc came flying fast and struck his head before he could even react. The microbots released Hiro and the teen genius was dropped to the floor. Tadashi fixed his helmet before looking around for the one who attacked him.

The maglev disc returned to its owner, snapping back on Gogo’s wrist. Gogo skated into view, lifted Hiro away from Tadashi, and carried him to a safer distance. She and Wasabi stood together to form a shield to protect Hiro.

“How are you alive?! I thought I crushed you all!” Tadashi shouted in outrage.

“A long time ago, someone once told us to use our big brains to think our way out of a problem,” Gogo said slowly, glaring at Tadashi. “He told us to look for things from a different angle because he doesn’t give up on people even if they don’t understand why they are needed…”

Peering behind Gogo, Hiro saw solemn and lifeless Tadashi’ face became. He doesn’t know what his brother’s thinking at this moment.

“What happened to that boy, Tadashi?!” Gogo shouted at Tadashi. “I thought we were friends! We started Big Hero 6 together!”

“I’m no longer part of your team,” Tadashi said.

“Ugh, there should be a limit to how much stubborn a person can be!” Gogo growled.

Tadashi clutched his head in frustration. Whether it was the neurotransmitter influencing his thoughts or not, he could feel his skin getting hotter and his head ready to be split open. He looked to Hiro hiding behind the group.

“Hiro,” he said. “Come over here. I don’t want you to get involved…”

“N-no…” Hiro shook his head. His heart is slowly breaking to pieces as he tearfully glares at his older brother. “If you’re willing to hurt people to keep me safe, then I’d rather be your enemy!”

Enraged, Tadashi shot a huge wave of microbots at the group. They dispersed quickly and dodged out of the way.

A thick cloud of blue smoke rolled into lab, filling up the entire room. It prevented Tadashi seeing where Hiro and the others are. Fred and Honey came out of the shadows and regrouped with the others.

* * *

“Did you enjoy the smokescreen Honey and I made?” Fred asked in excitement as Honey returned Hiro’s helmet to the teen genius.

Hiro looked at the team. They’re all waiting for him to give them the plan. Hiro was still shaken but he figured out a way to defeat Tadashi.

“Do whatever you can to destroy the microbots,” Hiro told them. “They’ll be sucked inside the portal and Tadashi won’t have any left to use.”

“Now that’s a plan!” Wasabi grinned.

“I know how you feel about Tadashi, but… he must be stopped. Don’t hold back,” Hiro said, gulping.

Meanwhile, Tadashi shot a cable wire to the ceiling and maneuver above the smoke to find the team. He spotted them and summoned the microbots. Hiro and his friends spun around and they are surrounded by five, giant nanobot-formed serpents.

The group split up as the snakes lunged at them. Tadashi stood on high ground and watched his friends running and fighting as he controlled the microbots from the distance.

* * *

Honey ran as one of the microbot-snakes chase after her. When the snake came close to biting her, she concocted a chemical shield to block its fangs but the snake always breaks through it. She came to low slope and saw a thick metal pillar up ahead. Thinking quickly, she popped out chem-ball from her purse and tossed it to the floor behind her. A chemical frost started to form the snake skidded over it, losing control of its movements. Then it slammed into a pillar and broke into pieces.

“Yes!” Honey happily bounced a little.

Wasabi was trapped into a corner, cowering in fear as a giant snake loomed over him. However, he mustered up his courage and summoned his plasma lasers. The snake use its super sharp tail to stab Wasabi but the burly superhero blocked it with his lasers. No matter how many times the snake tried to hit him, he blocked and slashed away with ease. The snake then bit down on him; its long fangs pierce through his suit and grazed his skin, drawing blood. Wasabi groaned in pain but he forcefully slash open the microbot-snake’s head and body with his lasers until there’s nothing left of it.

“I’m going to need a new one,” he panted as he held up his torn cape.

Another snake caught Fred and coiled around his body, trying to squeeze him to death. No matter how much he struggled, Fred couldn’t free himself.  Then he remembered he’s inside a suit and he got an idea. He opened the top of his suit and hurriedly climbed out with the flamethrower weapon strapped to his abdomen. He released a huge burst of fire on full blast and completely burned it the snake’s head. As the soon the snake released his grip, Fred immediately dived back into suit and ripped apart the burning snakes with his super-tough claws.

“Fredzilla’s on a rampage!” he roared.

Gogo skated all over the lab, letting a snake follow her everywhere. It kept trying to bite and swallow her, opening its jaws wide every time. Gogo moved herself a good distance away from the enemy and revved up her discs to full force.

“Woman up!” she shouted.

She zoomed towards the snake and threw herself inside its mouth. However, she used the two discs on her wrist to tear through the body from the inside, destroying the microbots until she came out free on the other end. Then she tossed her two discs and they struck the snake’s head in synchronization, breaking it completely.

Meanwhile, Hiro ducked as a snake hit the wall where his head should be. Then with a magnetic push, he blasted the snake away. The microbots scattered but then it formed into a giant microbot-gorilla. Before Hiro can do anything else, the gorilla wrapped its huge hand around Hiro’s thin body and crushed his electromagnetic gloves. Hiro moaned in pain. A familiar rocket fist came shooting by and blasted the robot figure to smithereens, dropping Hiro to the floor.

Hiro looked up to see Baymax flying towards him and landed next to him.

“Baymax!” Hiro cried happily as Baymax helped him up.

“I sense that you’re in need of my assistance,” the nursebot said.

* * *

Tadashi snarled when he saw how everyone managed to defeat his creatures. He gathered up his remaining microbots, determined to destroy them himself.

He narrowly missed a maglev disc and saw Gogo skating down to the lower sections of the lab. He began to chase after her, trying to strike her with the microbots but she avoided his attacks.

Gogo ran straight up to a wall, flipped over in mid-air above Tadashi and threw her disc at his helmet, shattering the visor.

Tadashi groaned from blow and he was lucky no glass struck his eyes. While he was distracted. Wasabi used the portal’s vacuum to boost his speed, throwing himself towards the huge column of microbots holding up Tadashi. He then slashed through with his lasers and the inventor toppled over and landed on the floor hard.

Honey used this opportunity to throw several flammable chem-balls on the microbots. Fred jumped in and released a huge blast at the pile and the microbots exploded like fireworks.

“Now that’s a chemical reaction!” Honey laughed. The team look for Tadashi but he was nowhere to be found.

Despite having no microbots left, Tadashi isn’t going to give up.

Wasabi looked around for Tadashi in the dissipating smokescreen and nearly jumped when he saw him appear behind him. The two engaged in close combat since they are both skilled in karate. Punches and kicks were thrown and blocked as the two moved around in a dance. Tadashi ended their match by blocking Wasabi’s punch with his fist and elbowed the burly man hard in his face.

After Wasabi crumpled to the floor in pain, Tadashi ambushed Honey (who tried to come to Wasabi’s aid) by covering her with the black trench coat he took off. He removed his now useless neurotransmitter-helmet and bashed her head, knocking her to the ground. Honey’s purse flew out of her hands and he snatched it up.

Fred, angry that Tadashi hurt Honey, blew fire at him. Tadashi was almost paralyzed seeing the flames up close but he maneuvered out of the way in time on his cables. Fred chased Tadashi back to the upper section of the lab, breathing fire after him. Hiro and Baymax came flying to assist their friends when Hiro saw Fred trying to burn his brother.

“Fred, wait!” he screamed.

Tadashi swung over to Fred, Baymax and Hiro on the cable wire, tossing Honey’s purse right in front of the flamethrower. The entire purse filled with chemicals exploded and all three were blown back by the shockwave. The school mascot was lucky he’s wearing a suit that covered his entire body, otherwise he would be seriously hurt. Meanwhile, Baymax used his body to shield Hiro from the blow though he became immobile and half of his armor broken to pieces. Hiro fell unconscious from the blow and he’s now trapped underneath’s Baymax’s body.

Tadashi glanced over to the generators that are now beginning to overheat with too much energy. Electricity began shooting out like lightning and the crescent moon vortex began to twitch and glow brighter. The whole lab is going to be destroyed in minutes, Tadashi might as well escape before that happened. He walked over to where Hiro and Baymax is and rudely flipped the nursebot over with his foot so he could retrieve his brother.

“Come, Hiro, let’s get out of here together,” Tadashi said to him as he cradle his brother.

However, he came face-to-face with Gogo. The two stare down at each other, ignoring everything around them. A strange calmness fell between them.

“So, it’s just you and me now, huh?” Tadashi said softly.

“I guess this is how it should end,” Gogo muttered, lowering her gaze. “It doesn’t have to be this way, Tadashi. You can still come back to us… and to me.”

Tadashi could feel the remnants of his old crush for her returning but it was soon followed by resentment

“To you? Quit lying, Gogo,” he scoffed. “There was nothing between us. You said it yourself—you can’t see yourself with me.”

Gogo was silent for a while before she changed the subject. “I just wanted to know why did you left us to die earlier,” she began. “Is it because we stopped you from killing Abigail before?”

Tadashi didn’t answer. He looked away.

“I found a video that showed me where the other Baymax came from. I saw you and our friends… stopping Hiro from destroying Callaghan in another dimension,” he finally said. “If it was our professor who tried to kill us instead of Abigail, would you still stop me?”

“Of course, I would,” Gogo said. She remembered the video Krei’s secretary showed to her, Hiro, and their friends of Callaghan being attacked by Baymax. She couldn’t forget how terrifying and intense it was. “I would never stoop to a criminal’s level.”

“Even if that criminal would be responsible for a friend’s death?” Tadashi questioned loudly, feeling his anger returning. “Both Abigail and her father are not so different, that’s why they don’t deserve any mercy. You never lost someone before, so how would you understand how I felt?”

“Stubborn and unreasonable, as always,” Gogo grumbled. A grim smile formed on her lips. “Come to think of it... I wasn’t exactly nice to you back then, right? That day we came to visit you but you threw us out…”

She recalled that day she and Tadashi argued back in his room when he isolated himself from everyone else. Gogo guessed this is Tadashi’s payback for it, as well as the other times she and the others held him back in his rage and grief.

“You’re so angry, you don’t want to forgive anyone, right? I get it… go ahead and get as violent as you want to be. I’ll take on any punishment you dish out!”

Tadashi narrowed his eyes and set his brother’s body down somewhere, away from the fight. Gogo began to rev up her discs again, ready to fight him with her remaining strength. She fought back the tears forming in her eyes.

“But after that, you better quit this, you hear me?!”

Tadashi and Gogo dashed towards each other. Before they can clash, the entire lab shook and they stumbled to the floor. The portal had grown so strong that it began sucking everything in. Walls, ceilings, and even huge rubble on the floor, are now being pulled into the shining vortex; all disintegrated without a trace the moment they fell inside.

Gogo grabbed a steel rod jutting out nearby and hung on for dear life. Tadashi hid behind a strong concrete debris to prevent himself from being pulled in. However, he noticed his brother’s unconscious body being dragged by the vacuum.

“Hiro!” Tadashi shouted. Before he can grabbed him, a pipe knocked Tadashi off from his spot and he began to fall into the portal.

“TADASHI!!” Gogo screamed.

Tadashi shot his cable wire. It latched onto a wall on the other side of the lab. He is now hovering several feet above the vortex and Tadashi could feel how extremely hot it is behind him.

He remembered his brother; he looked around and saw Baymax hanging on to the wall while holding on to Hiro in his arm. Hiro slowly woke up, his ears ringing, and he saw his brother dangling above the unstable.

“Tadashi,” Hiro gasped weakly. He realized his brother is going to be sucked in. He turned to Baymax. “Baymax, wings!”

Baymax tried to open his wings but nothing happened. They were destroyed earlier from Honey’s chem-purse.

Now feeling helpless, Hiro looked back to his brother. He tried to pull himself away from Baymax’s grip.

“Hiro, don’t,” Baymax told him quietly. “You’ll fall in.”

“Baymax, it’s my brother!” Hiro screamed over the roaring vacuum. “I have to save him!”

Tadashi felt the cable being tugged and looked up to see his friends on the other side of the lab, holding on to support as they tried to pull the cable together.

“Hang on, Tadashi!” Gogo shouted to him. “We got you!”

“It’s too strong!” Wasabi grunted as he tried to pull with the others.

Even with the group’s combined strength, they couldn’t overcome the powerful gravitational force of the portal. Tadashi tried to hold on to the cable with one arm but he’s losing his strength...

Baymax slowly but steadily joined with the others and began to pull the cable easily thanks to his incredible strength. Tadashi is now being moved upwards. As he approached closer to his friends, he saw Hiro leaning over the railing, reaching out to him.

“Tadashi, we’re going to save you!” Hiro called out desperately.

“Hiro, the generators!” Honey screamed. Everyone looked up and the electrical generators, now on the verge of exploding any time. And Tadashi’s only halfway from their reach.

Hiro kept his hand out, he’s now crying and shaking.

“Tadashi, take my hand! I can’t lose you again!”

Tadashi stared in disbelief at his brother, then his robot, and his friends. A few minutes ago, he tried to get them killed but they’re still risking their lives to save him. Are they willing to forgive him despite what he had done to them? He understood why they would do that but he still couldn’t bring himself to accept their kindness. He’s not worthy of their friendship after he abandoned the team back in San Fransokyo. He hurt and even killed people, there’s no way he could take those back now…

_How dare they show mercy on him._

Tadashi’s eyes met Hiro’s and the latter stared in shock at the resentful frown on his brother’s face. Hiro realized what his brother is planning to do.

“Tadashi, no!” Hiro begged.

“Good-bye, Hiro,” Tadashi whispered in a spiteful tone.

Yet somewhere inside him, he regretted everything.

Tadashi immediately released himself from the gauntlet. Hiro watched and screamed as his big brother fell into the portal… The generators exploded. The entire room is filled with light and heat.

The ceilings of the lab collapsed from the huge blast and buried everyone.

* * *

Minutes passed. The lab had finally stopped shaking.

A huge pile of rubble shifted and Big Hero 6 emerged. Baymax protected the team and everyone is unharmed though some are a little singed.

Hiro stares dumbfounded at the remains of the destroyed portal and generators. The vortex seemed to have disappeared after the explosion and no trace of it were left behind.

He crumpled down onto his knees.

 _“Tadashi!”_ he sobbed. His cries echoed all around the room. **_“TADASHI…!!”_**

* * *

Ambulance and police sirens wailed on the port of San Fransokyo. After Heathcliff carried Abigail and Krei back to the city on the helicopter, he sent an anonymous call for help before leaving the scene.

As Abigail was wheeled to an ambulance on stretcher by the paramedics, the police tried to interrogate Krei but the CEO wanted to remain close to Abigail.

“Sir, are you aware that woman is a criminal?” Detective June Park demanded angrily. “We have witness accounts from your employees who claimed they were kidnapped by her!”

Krei looked over to Abigail who just woke up and is trying to figure out where she is. Their eyes met and remorse filled Abigail’s heart.

She doesn’t know when she’ll ever see Krei again but she could tell by the look on his face that he has already forgiven her.

“Alistair…” she whispered his name weakly before the ambulance doors closed on her.

Somewhere standing on top of a building, Hiro, Baymax and the rest of Big Hero 6 watched the ambulance take Abigail Callaghan away. Hopefully she can get healed despite some possible lasting effects from the electrical shocks her body received.

Despite finally apprehending the criminal who escaped them many times, the team felt their victory came with a high, tragic price.

Without a word, Hiro and his friends slowly left the scene without looking back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((This chapter took forever to write since I've been so busy with work and I feel like I should have done more with this, so please forgive me. *sweatdrops*
> 
> The story isn't over yet. The next and final chapter will show the aftermath and how Hiro will be coping after that tragic climatic battle. God, I feel so bad for Hiro now... he just found his brother only to lose him again.))


	22. "So Proud of Him"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiro copes with his loss but he knows he's not alone. Then he finds something that would keep him moving forward...

Three months has passed since the incident on Akuma Island as well as Abigail Callaghan’s capture. Abigail confessed her crimes to the police while she’s still recovering in the hospital. Krei visited her every other day and the two reconciled before Abigail was transferred to prison. The two remained in contact with Krei promising her that he will be the first person to welcome her back when she gets out. Krei’s secretary continued working for her boss and there was no bitter feelings between them.

Abigail only sent one letter to Hiro and his friends to express her deep apologies for her actions against them. And to express her gratitude and way of redeeming herself in their eyes, she hid their secret identities from the police.

The whole city of San Fransokyo are now aware they are being watched over by a mysterious group of individuals who called themselves Big Hero 6. Some are excited to have superheroes protecting them while others are suspicious of them; nevertheless, the city became safer because of them.

For these past months, Big Hero 6 continued to protect San Fransokyo they committed to protect. Despite the team originally formed by a friend who got lost in his hate and revenge, they’re still willing to honor his memory since it was his wish to help people—even if it became tragically twisted—that made them superheroes they are now. They haven’t forgotten what Tadashi had done to them; however, they forgave him because they believed, deep down, he’s still good and they dearly missed him every day. Especially Hiro, who is now trying to move on with his life without his brother.

Sitting on a tall wind turbine overlooking San Fransokyo Bay, two figures who happened to be superheroes were enjoying the stunning view of sunset. They could see the whole city and even parts beyond the bay that surrounded it.

Hiro sighed at the beauty. “This is incredible,” he said.

He and Baymax are wearing matching bright red armor. It took days and nights for Hiro to rebuild Baymax back to his original marshmallow-like body, as well as upgrading him with a new armor and programmed a new fighting chip.

Baymax turned to Hiro and blinked. “Your emotional state has improved for the past couple of months. The treatment is working,” he explained.

Hiro couldn’t help but laugh and nudged the robot. “Yeah, that’s right, buddy.”

Then he and Baymax stood up together.

“Time to test that super sensor,” he said. Earlier that afternoon, he upgraded Baymax’s sensor so it’ll help the team locate criminals faster.

Baymax’s new lens blinked. He scanned the entire city, gathering readings on hundreds of thousands of people.

“Functionality improved. One thousand percent increase in range,” he stated.

Hiro smiled in satisfaction and held up his hand in front of Baymax. The two fist-bumped.

"Bata-latala," they said together in unison.

Then Hiro became quiet for a moment and he glanced hopefully at Baymax.

“Hey, Baymax,” he began. “Now that you’ve scanned the entire city. Is he… still out there?”

Baymax knew what Hiro was talking about. “I cannot locate Tadashi anywhere in San Fransokyo.”

“So… he’s really gone, then.”

Hiro was disappointed and he fought back tears Baymax sensed his distress and placed a gentle arm on his should to comfort him.

“It is alright to cry,” he told him. “Crying is a natural response to pain.”

“I know,” Hiro whimpered, wiping his eyes. “I’m getting better… but it still hurts.”

“I understand your pain, Hiro,” the nursebot said. “Tadashi was still my patient and I haven’t finished treating him.”

Hiro wondered if Baymax can still deactivate without his patient’s permission and he knew the robot missed his creator since he often caught him staring wistfully into empty space once in a while.

“You won’t leave me… right?” Hiro asked.

Baymax touched Hiro’s chest. “I will always be with you.”

Hiro smiled and hugged the robot he had come to love and trust before him. Baymax will always be there to remind him how Tadashi poured so much love and hard work into building him.

The communicator in Hiro’s helmet turned on.

“Hey, Hiro,” Gogo’s voice was heard. “You and Baymax done patrolling? We can’t start the party without you.”

“Got it.” Hiro turned off the communicator and climbed on top of Baymax. “Let’s fly, Baymax. Everybody’s waiting for us.”

* * *

In the garage of the Hamada household, Aunt Cass and Hiro’s friends decide to throw a small party for Hiro to celebrate him attending classes at SFIT. Four boxes of pizzas are stacked on top of each other on one of the tables next to a plate of Aunt Cass’ spicy chicken wings.

Fred is playing with Mochi, trying to make the cat move and act like a Kaiju; Wasabi and Gogo are sharing jokes and flirtatious smiles; and Honey and Aunt Cass are taking selfies together.

Hiro and Baymax, after removing their suits, entered the garage and everyone cheered when they saw them.

“There’s my little superhero man!” Aunt Cass smiled and hugged her nephew.

“You’re just in time,” Gogo smirked. “Fred kept whining since he couldn’t wait to chow down on some pizza.”

“Hiro, I got something for you,” Honey came over to the teen genius. She handed him an envelope. “You can open it later. It’s time for a picture!”

Honey pulled Hiro to the front as everyone gathered behind him, including Baymax. Honey lifted up her camera and took a snapshot of everybody.

“Alright, let’s eat!” Fred boomed before planting his face on the first pizza.

Wasabi cried in disgust, “NOT MY FAVORITE HAWAIIAN PIZZA!!”

“Um, excuse me?” a tiny voice called out. Hiro spun around to see a young Japanese boy around his age standing in the middle of the garage’s opening. He’s carrying what looks like to be a box full of dumplings.

“I’m looking for Miss Cass,” he said shyly. “M-my uncle is a regular customer of the Lucky Cat café and when he heard that Hiro Hamada is alive, he asked me to deliver this for her.”

“That would be me. Tell your uncle that I thanked him for his gift!” Aunt Cass said as she took the box of dumplings from his hands.

Hiro and the boy shared eye contact before the boy’s face turned red.

“Um, you want to stay?” Hiro inquired. He couldn’t recall when was the last time he talked to someone of his own age, but he felt more confident about it when he’s not interacting with older people. “We have food for everybody.”

The boy shook his head and twiddled his fingers. “Oh, thanks for the invitation, but I need to be somewhere. It… It was nice meeting you.”

Hiro held out a hand for him. He knew his brother would encourage him to meet new people.

“The name’s Hiro,” he said with a smile.

The boy blushed again and shook Hiro’s hand.

“Y-you can call me Yasuo.”

* * *

The party ended on a good note and Hiro’s friends went home for night. Aunt Cass picked up the dirty plates while Hiro and Baymax dropped the empty pizza boxes into a huge trash bag.

“That was fun,” she grinned.

“Yup,” Hiro nodded. He could feel his cheeks mildly burning. “I’m definitely going to feel your chicken wings in the morning~”

Aunt Cass pressed her lips on his head.

“I’m so proud of you, sweetie,” she sighed. “Are you doing well with college?”

“It’s exciting so far,” Hiro replied while Baymax swept the floor behind him. “The Robotics Lab got a new professor and I’ll be starting my new project next week.”

“Don’t strain yourself too hard,” Cass said. “You need to work with both your college work and superhero duties to make sure they don’t conflict with each other.”

“Got it, Aunt Cass.” Then Hiro went back picking up the mess from the party. “You go on ahead, Baymax and I will clean this place up.”

Cass gave her nephew a warm smile before walking out of the garage.

* * *

Minutes later after the garage is clean, Hiro collapsed on the old red couch near his computer. He lay on his back, staring at the ceiling and thinking what to do next. He could start on his robotics project early, or...

Remembering the envelope Honey gave to him earlier, he curiously opened it and he couldn’t help but smile when he saw what it is.

It was the photo Honey took of the group before Hiro present his microbots demonstration at the SFIT showcase. He stared longingly into Tadashi’s happy face, he looked so different compared to his last appearance when he was bitter and ruthless.

Hiro wished he could have done something to save his brother but he knew Tadashi would never forgive him. He couldn’t understand why Tadashi just gave up on him when Hiro never did.

“I missed Tadashi, Baymax,” Hiro said in solemn voice. “I don’t know what my future would be like without him… but at least I have you, Cass, and the rest of the guys with me.” He placed the photo on his table next to his computer. He remembered something else. “He wanted to tell me something that night before the fire happened. I wished I knew what it was.”

Baymax slowly approached his patient before stopping in front of him. He knew what to do to make Hiro feel better.

“Tadashi is here,” Baymax suddenly said.

Hiro smiled with sentiment.

“I know,” he said. “He’ll never be gone as long as I remember him.”

“No, Hiro. Tadashi is here…”

Then a display screen began to flicker on Baymax’s stomach. Hiro immediately sat up when he noticed the nursebot is running a video. A feeling love and happiness washed over Hiro the moment he saw his big brother on Baymax’s screen.

 _“Hey Baymax!”_ Tadashi in the video greeted the robot. He was wearing a gray cardigan over his black shirt. His familiar baseball cap fitted comfortably on his head. _“Sorry for not working on you lately. I’ve been busy… Today’s showcase day, and my brother’s attending later tonight. I hope he can get into SFIT. If not, I’ll have to beg Callaghan to admit Hiro.”_

He laughed and Hiro kept watching, growing teary-eyed to see his brother again; the old Tadashi still wide-eyed and full of kindness, and unblemished by anger and grief.

Tadashi then rubbed his neck guiltily and he sighed.

_“Hiro has been working on his project for weeks. I know I got him to do this. But to be honest, just a couple of weeks ago… I had a change of mind. I secretly wanted Hiro to stop what he was doing.”_

A melancholic expression appeared on his face.

_“Hiro didn’t have a normal childhood since he’s way smarter than most kids his age. Because of that, he skipped a lot of grades and couldn’t relate to anyone. I took it upon myself to protect him from anyone who’d bully him or take advantage of his intelligence. But at the same time, I pushed him hard to be more productive so I guess that’s why he snuck out to these botfights. … However, he doesn’t have faith in his own talents, he’s afraid of messing up in front of people. … Maybe Hiro doesn’t have to win an admission to the school, he can just apply normally. His age wouldn’t be a problem and his high school teachers can send recommendation letters for him.”_

He slowly smiled and his eyes glowed with pride.

_“But when I saw him being so passionate with his project and how much he wanted to get into the school, I knew I did the right thing… I could never been more proud of my brother. I can’t wait for him attend SFIT with me and the others.”_

Tadashi glanced to his left as though someone is calling for him. He turned back to Baymax and quickly adjusted his cap.

 _“Well, I better get going,”_ he said with a huge smile on his face. _“I gotta get ready for Hiro’s demonstration. I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Until next time, Baymax. I am satisfied with my care.”_

**_Fin._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((NOTE: Heads up! I might write an extra “chapter” (more like a one-shot) showing deleted scenes that I never included in the fic due to pacing issues and other things, as well as an epilogue. Yeah, so my fanfic isn’t completely over yet!))
> 
> ((And so my fanfic came a conclusion! This has been an amazing journey even though it ended tragically for Tadashi.
> 
> I've been wanting to make this kind of AU where Tadashi couldn't cope with his grief and he becomes a villain, his morals and sense of justice becoming ironically twisted. Even if he did survive from the previous chapter, he would never bring himself to accept his mistakes and would force himself to leave Hiro anyways since he (in his own thinking) believes he's unworthy of his brother's love, or anyone's love.
> 
> (On a personal note: This fanfic is a "semi-healing project" for me trying to overcome my own loss, and my pain is probably evident in some parts of the fic. But this fanfic, as well as the movie and my fellow BH6 fans, slowly helped me with my grief and so I'm grateful for it.)
> 
> I know I more or less left some things unanswered, but I will gladly explain them! You can ask me in the comments here or in my museblog "tadashi-niisan.tumblr.com" on Tumblr.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading my fanfic. While it's probably not perfect, I'm glad you took the time to stick around and see it to end. I might write a sequel fic of the BH6 movie sometime in the future, but with a twist: some characters who are mentioned or appeared in the au might show up in the sequel. So keep an eye out if you're interested. Thank you once again!))


	23. Fire, Flowers, and the Silent Sparrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A "lost" chapter uncovering certain events.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Surprise! This fic isn't completely over yet! There's still an epilogue (aka 'special ending') left to go~))
> 
> WARNING: This is a heavy oc-filled story. If that's not your sort of thing, you can wait to read the epilogue. *sweatdrops*

**_The Banzai Brothers._ **

Located near the dark, filthy botfighting alleys of San Fransokyo, a little restaurant named _Tako Taco_ —known for serving both Japanese and Mexican cuisine—has just closed down for the day. Dominguez and Komeiji, known as the “Banzai Brothers”, lived in an apartment behind the restaurant where they can see the dark, narrow alley outside their window.

Despite their nickname, neither of these two hotblooded men is actually blood-related. They first met when they’re both members of an embarrassing and temporary mariachi band, and the two considered each other close as partners. Especially they both share common interests: botfighting and blowing things up.

Their salary as chefs couldn’t help pay their rent but they discovered other ways to earn good cash. They have taken up botfighting and they’re unbeatable in pair battles. However, they often get caught by the police or ended up brawling with the sore losers so much they decide to take an alternate and “safer” job when they’re not so busy building battlebots or whipping up tostadas.

The Banzai Brothers set up a private website where the police couldn’t trace it and they offer their services as secret hitmen who are skilled with explosives. They usually demand to see their client in person before they take a job and it so happens one night they received a visit from a mysterious man.

“Robert Callaghan,” Dominguez, the older Banzai Brother, said as he watched him sat down the tattered couch across him. He puffed a cigarette. “It’s unusual we have client at 2 in the morning, but now I can see why you wanted to see us at this late hour. Can’t have a well-known college professor be seen going to a shady neighborhood while there’s people still awake, huh?”

The grey-haired robotics professor narrowed his eyes around the living room of the apartment; it reeked of beer and cigarettes, and not to mention sweltering since the air conditioner is broken. The floor is filled with metallic objects and stacks of papers and magazines in sloppy piles, making it harder for anyone to navigate.

Callaghan hoped these men are more competent than they looked. He wanted to remove his black trench coat to cool off this suffocating heat but he chose not.

“I have only one request and I’m willing to pay you half the money right now, and the other half after you completed the job,” he told them.

Komeiji belched rudely. He was leaning against a bookshelf with a beer bottle in hand. Dominguez gave his partner a look for being nasty before turning to Callaghan.

“So, what’s the job?” he asked. He then stuffed his cigarette into an ashtray.

“In two weeks from now there’ll be a science showcase held at SFIT’s exhibition hall,” Callaghan said. “One of the guests is Alistair Krei.”

Komeiji spat out his beer in shock and started coughing.

“This is rather interesting,” Dominguez smirked, leaning forward. “What did he do to deserve to blown up?”

“Let’s say he ruined my daughter so much she might as well be dead because of him,” Callaghan answered coldly. His eyes flashed with tranquil rage that it brought shivers down Dominguez’s spine.

“You hate him that much, huh?“ Dominguez muttered, rubbing his chin. “And you want us to help you destroy him. Well, I can recommend a Banzai Brother specialty: blow up an entire building until it’s all in flames. By the time his body can be found, there won’t be much of him left.”

Callaghan thought about it and a cruel smirk formed in his lips. “Sounds perfect.”

Komeiji laughed as he sat down next to his partner.  “Name your price and we’ll do it, old man.”

Callaghan took out a checkbook and began to write something in it. After he’s done, he gave a check to the Banzai Brothers, who looked at it and they both whistle in unison.

“This is only half the payment?” Komeiji cried, highly impressed. “Why don’t you give us the other half now and we’ll just bomb him at his home tomorrow instead?”

“No! It has to be at the showcase!” Callaghan growled. “I wanted to be there to see his face full of fear and helpless while he’s waiting to die.”

“Whoa, man, I was just kidding,” Komeiji said, wide-eyed with fear.

“Besides, we’re running low on supplies, especially our nitroglycerin,” said Dominguez. “We need some time to prepare the stuff.”

Callaghan wrote down the date of the showcase and gave them to the two men. Then he stood up, ready to leave. “Don’t mess this up.”

Dominguez chuckled darkly. “Trust us, Mister Callaghan. We’re very good at our job.”

Two weeks came and the two Banzai Brothers, disguised as janitors, arrived at the showcase earlier before anyone else that day to help Callaghan secretly set up the machines containing explosive chemicals around the building.

“These babies are triggered by heat,” Komeiji said as he placed a hidden bomb near the entrance of the main lobby. “If you don’t have anything to protect you from the blast, you’ll be all over the place.”

Dominguez looked around to make sure they’re not being overhead.

“When you’re ready,” he said in a low voice, “you better figure out to start a fire or your plan will be wasted.”

Callaghan checked his watch.  He looked distant for some reason. “I’ll see you two later tonight after the showcase.” He then gave them the check of the other half their payment. The Banzai Brothers watch him walk away before the look at each other. They’re wearing similar evil, shadowy expressions.

“You know, bro,” Dominguez spoke in a low voice, laced with cruelty. “This building will still be full of people tomorrow night after the showcase ended.”

“That’s right, bro,” Komeiji smirked. “And there’ll still be people around when the fire breaks out.”

“But imagine how much more fun…”

“The hot surprise it’ll be for them…”

“… If we dismantle the fire alarm system,” the two men finished in an ominous note.

* * *

**_Yuan and Yasuo._ **

Yuan, an SFIT student majoring in microbiology, was one of the last people to get out from the exhibit hall. He was in the second-floor bathroom when he heard the screaming and saw the flames. He didn’t know why the fire alarms didn’t set off earlier but he cursed his bad luck for attending a stupid showcase in the first place.

He looked back, staring in morbid awe as the smoke rise menacingly. He noticed Tadashi Hamada, a fellow student, running inside the building leaving behind a small boy—probably his brother--in front of the steps.

Is he crazy?! Yuan thought wildly. Why would he risk his life to run back inside? Was he trying to save someone?

Then the small boy moving forward up the stairs. Dashing over quickly, he managed to grab him by the back of his hoodie.

“What are you doing?!” he yelled as he struggled to pull Hiro back. “You’re going to get yourself killed!”

“My brother is inside!” Hiro screamed, his voice filled with fear. He’s clutching Tadashi’s baseball cap. “Someone has to help him!”

“Just forget about him!” Yuan snapped. “Don’t be an idiot!”

Hiro ignored him and pulled himself free, leaving behind his blue jacket hoodie in Yuan’s hands as he disappeared inside the burning building. Yuan could feel the heat from the flames getting stronger and he cursed at both Hamada brothers’ idiotic bravery.

A minute later, Tadashi came out. He was coughing and some parts of his clothes are a little signed but he was unharmed. Yuan, now frightened for the other boy, told Tadashi that he tried to stop Hiro from entering the building. He saw the look of horror on Tadashi’s face. Before Tadashi could even turn back to retrieve Hiro, the explosion happened.

Yuan fell backwards from the shockwave. The jacket hoodie fell from his hands.

When he regained his senses, he saw Tadashi Hamada screaming and crying his little brother’s name. The police and firemen were trying to hold him back, preventing him running inside. He saw Tadashi’s aunt and his friends standing on the side, horrified and in disbelief of the situation.

 _“LET ME GO!”_ Tadashi roared. _“MY BROTHER NEEDS ME! HIRO!!”_

Yuan could only silently return the jacket hoodie to Tadashi’s aunt, who is now trying so hard not to crumple and cry like her broken nephew. And then he left the site without looking back.

Days afterwards, the fire accident and the deaths of Professor Callaghan was all over the news. Yuan found it strange that they didn’t cover so much on Hiro Hamada’s death but he believes it’s because Callaghan is a famous scientist. He couldn’t decide whether to be disgusted or not, but he did told the kid not to run inside the building.

“Serves him right,” Yuan muttered as he finished his breakfast at his home.

He sensed his younger cousin Yasuo entering the room. He’s holding a small bouquet of white chrysanthemums. He appeared to be distraught.

“Y-Yuan, since you’re going to school, can you take these with you?” he asked in a small voice. He sniffled. “Th-they’re for H-Hiro… Hiro Hamada’s memorial.”

Yuan looked at the flowers disapprovingly.

“What am I, a delivery boy?” he asked rudely. “The dead have no use for flowers.”

“B-but I knew Hiro,” Yasuo protested. He was on the verge of tears. “W-we’re not even classmates in high school, but we’ve talked before and I liked him. W-when I heard he d-died, I…”

“Oh, shut your mewling. Why do you care so much for a nobody?” Yuan snapped loudly. He stood up and dumped his cereal bowl in the kitchen sink. He then snatched the chrysanthemum bouquet from Yasuo’s arms.

“You should be focusing on fixing your robot for our next botfighting pair battle,” he told Yasuo coldly as he threw the bouquet into the trash bin. “If you want to attend that botfighting tournament in Japan, you have to raise up enough cash to travel there.” He walked off, muttering under his breath. “It’s a shame your old man won’t lend us the money...”

Yasuo stared at his feet sadly before he left home for school. He let the tears roll down his face as he continued to miss an old friend he barely knew but wished he could have gotten to know better.

Weeks later, both Yuan and the Banzai Brothers would later meet their karmic deaths at the hands of a grieving young man who never knew they're indirectly responsible for his little brother's presumed death.

* * *

**_Detective June Park._ **

Detective June Park stared directly at Hiro Hamada as he sat on a chair. Standing nearby are his friends and Aunt Cass. After Abigail was apprehended and taken to the hospital to be treated for her wounds, Park interrogated Hiro and his involvement with the criminal, and Hiro answered every question as honestly as he can.

“So, let me get this straight,” Park slowly said as she rubbed her forehead. “Miss Callaghan kidnapped you and forced you to make miniature robots for her criminal purposes?”

“Microbots,” Hiro corrected her. He looked so pale as though he had not been sleeping well and his eyes were heavy from constant crying.

“And would you care to explain why these microbots were found in the garage and being used by your missing brother?” Park asked, eyeing from Hiro to the others.

“Those were just extra microbots that I didn’t bring to the showcase, not the same ones that were stolen by Abigail and the ones I made for her,” Hiro explained. He and the others decided to change their stories a little under Gogo’s suggestion to keep the Hamada family’s record a little clean as possible.

“Are you aware that your brother Tadashi tried to attack me with them?” Park demanded. “He accused me for implying that he’s a criminal.”

“Tadashi… wasn’t in a good place that time,” Hiro said quietly. He thought of his brother and the image of him falling into the portal before it exploded flashed before his eyes. He fought back his tears. “I don’t know what he was thinking, none of us knew what was going on with him. But I can assure you that he’s not responsible for kidnapping the engineers or in cahoots with Abigail.”

“He still fled and even attacked several officers,” Park reminded him. “He still needs to pay for his reckless actions. I understand you’re his brother and want to protect him…”

“Detective Park,” Hiro choked out. Tears roll down his face. Aunt Cass walked over and placed a comforting hand on her nephew shoulders. “I missed my brother so much. When I heard what he did a few days ago, I was shocked. I didn’t want to believe it. But I know he’s still a good guy no matter how much he changed. I just… wished I could have been there to stop him.”

Park felt pity for the young teenager. Maybe she was wrong that Tadashi isn’t a criminal secretly working for Abigail and neither Hiro nor his friends knew where he had gone. Perhaps she can stop trying to hunt him down for a while... Her superiors didn’t even believe her reports of a college student using nanobots to escape the city. And since he was wearing a dark visor helmet last time she saw him, she could protect his identity out of sympathy for the Hamada family. They’ve already suffered enough.

“Thank you for your time, Mr. Hamada,” Park said gently. “This is the last time you’ll hear from me. If your brother ever decides to show up, I still have to arrest him. It’s my duty.” She paused and gave him a small smile. “However, I will let you know so you can see him again.”

Hiro smiled back even though he knew it was impossible for Tadashi to come back.

Park walked out from the Lucky Cat café and sat inside her car. Her minds is racing; Abigail already confessed her crimes and explained her father was responsible for the fire incident, so both cases were solved. She still needs to look into the mysterious murders of the Banzai Brothers and a young man named Yuan.

At first they don’t seem to be related to the Callaghan case, though she remembered interviewing Yuan a week after the fire since he was one of the witnesses who saw Hiro running into the burning building before it exploded. She even found several explosive materials in both Abigail’s and the Banzai Brothers’ homes. According to the landlord owning the apartment where the Banzai Brothers lived, the man had seen Professor Callaghan and a woman (who fit Abigail’s physical description) coming to visit the two men Brothers late at night.

Park assumed the two unrelated “brothers” and Yuan must be involved with the explosion and they were killed off by Abigail so they’ll remain silent forever. However, Abigail told her that she never killed them, although she did say she went to see the Banzai Brothers after her father died because she wanted to learn how to build her own explosives. She even added that she has never seen or heard of Yuan. Park realized she reached a dead end with this case and she might as well give up much to her frustration.

“It looks like we’ll never know who done in those three men,” she said to herself as she drove away. Lying on the passenger’s seat is a rolled up newspaper talking about the colorful superheroes named Big Hero 6's continued efforts stopping crime in the city. While she was grateful for their help, she couldn’t help but feel jealous that they’re doing a better job than her and the police force.

* * *

**_Project Silent Sparrow._ **

In a private room at San Fransokyo Hospital, Krei lightly knocked on the doorway to alert his presence.

"It's just me."

Abigail saw him and she sat upright in her bed. Her body and face are covered in bandages. There are some marks of faint bruises and burns left on her skin; she's slowly recovering each day.

"I thought you were the cops," she said. "I'm so tired of them hounding me with further questions which I've already answered."

Krei pulled up a chair and sat beside her.

"Candace decided not to come today," he told her. He's referring to his secretary.

"I don't blame her," Abigail sighed sadly. Despite wishing to see her friend again, she knew Krei's secretary has every right not to contact her. "I did use her and tried to blow her up. As well as our colleagues..."

She remembered the police telling her the engineers she kidnapped are still recovering though she was informed a couple of them are in critical condition. If they didn't survive, that's another few years added to her sentence...

Abigail is not looking forward being transferred to prison by the end of this week yet she must pay for her crimes. She hasn't forgotten what she had done and she wished she could take back all those things. She sent letter to apologize to Hiro and his friends, but she hasn't heard a reply from him. She believed Hiro isn't ready to forgive her yet but that's fine with her.

"What happened to Hiro's brother?" she asked Krei. "I haven't heard anything about what happened in Akuma Island since I got here."

Krei looked away from her, his expression turned somber.

"According to Hiro, his brother was pulled into the portal before it was destroyed along with the lab," he answered. "I was also informed the portal was unnatural since it just obliterated anything that was sucked into it. I don't think he survived. And if he did, by some miracle, he has disappeared without a trace. He could possibly never return home again..."

Abigail's face paled. However, she is secretly grateful that she didn't try to enter the portal herself.

"It's my fault," she said, staring down at her bed sheets. "The notes on my father's laptop said the dimensional-transportation portal would work..."

Her words got Krei interested. "Notes? Who wrote it?" he inquired.

"Someone named Dr. Ishioka," Abigail answered, shrugging lightly.

Krei became surprised and unnerved at the name. "I knew him," he said. "He's the grandson of the scientist who helped started the Akuma Island testing facilities. He, your father, and I go way back... In fact, Ishioka was the one who suggested the portal idea."

Abigail stared at him. "You said Project Silent Sparrow was your idea."

"I didn't know what came over me!" Krei suddenly protested. Guilt came crashing down on him. "It was an extraordinary idea but Ishioka wasn't going anywhere with it. So I decided to take the project as my own, without giving him credit."

Silence fell into the room.

"I tried to make it work before when Project Silent Sparrow was its early beginnings," Krei continued grimly and he avoided looking at Abigail. "It was difficult so I decided it's best to use it for convenience travel. But I guess since it wasn't my own research, I overlooked some possible bugs and other irregularities that could cause problems to the portals." He began to sweat. "I didn't know your father still had the old notes but I guess he kept them for some purpose he might use against me."

He rubbed his temples.

"I'm sorry for hiding this from you, Abigail," he apologized. "But I didn't want to satisfy your father's suspicions that I cut corners to get where I was today. I even tried to steal Hiro's microbot tech."

"But you didn't," Abigail stated. "You could have built copies of them and sell them on the market. You've stole someone's invention before, why is that one different?"

"Maybe because... Hiro's brother had stopped me," Krei replied after a pause. He remembered that day of the showcase. "I'm grateful he did because I don't know what new trouble I would have faced if I made my own microbots."

Abigail just looked at him. Her face is so difficult to read but Krei assumed she must be thinking of this revelation. He then saw her taking his hand into her own. Her lips formed into a small, regretful smile.

"I guess we're both thieves then," she said to him.


	24. Epilogue: Yokai

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiro meets a mysterious man who seemed interested in him.

Hiro was backed against a corner. He shouldn’t have tried hustling a huge botfighter like Yama and he’s beginning to panic.

“Teach him a lesson!” Yama ordered his men. “And get his robot for me.”

Hiro clutched Megabot closer to his body, waiting for the blows to strike him. Suddenly, a bike came out of nowhere and knocked over Yama and his men.

“Get on!” the rider yelled to Hiro.

“Gogo!” Hiro exclaimed happily. He jumped on and held close to her so he wouldn’t fall off.

Gogo then took off into the alley. She maneuvered through a shortcut and made it out just in time before the police cars arrived. She was glad she wasn’t arrested at an illegal gambling ring; her sister will give her the biggest lecture of a life time.

“Okay, you can drop me off here!” Hiro told her as Gogo zipped through a neighborhood where Hiro’s home is nearby. Gogo parked her bike under a street light a couple blocks away from the Lucky Cat café where Hiro lived with his Aunt Cass. The two got off from the bike and Gogo then proceed to smack Hiro’s head much to the latter’s surprise.

“Ow!” he yelped in pain.

“Hey genius,” she scolded him, popping her bubblegum. “You graduated high school when you were thirteen and this is what you’ve been doing?”

“I’m on a roll, Gogo,” Hiro grinned as he pulled out a huge wad of cash. He couldn’t believe he made so much. He began to hurry away. “There’s another botfight across town tomorrow. If I get home now and book it, I can still make it in time.”

Gogo, however, blocked his path and she placed her hands on her hips showing how disappointed she is in him.

“You’re wasting that big brain of yours. When are you going to do something with your life?” she demanded.

Gogo had known Hiro after she rescued him from another, previous botfight when she was just passing by on her way to SFIT. The two introduced themselves and she was impressed to learn how incredible intelligent Hiro is after he showed off how he built his robot and other inventions. She’s not as close to him, but she sees him as a little brother sometimes.

Hiro fidgeted for a second. He doesn’t like how Gogo is criticizing him. It’s his lifestyle and she’s got no right to judge him.

“What? Go to college like you, so people can already tell me stuff I already know?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Gogo narrowed her eyes.

“It must be so nice to make your parents proud of what you’re doing,” she said.

“I don’t care what they think. They’re gone,” Hiro shrugged. “They died with my brother when I was three, remember?”

Gogo looked at him as Hiro began walking away from her. He looked a little lonely and sad at his own answer. Gogo realized she’s the only one who could steer Hiro into the right direction.

“Hey,” she called out to him and he stopped to turn back. “You don’t have to keep doing this. You could do way more at SFIT.”

“Unlikely,” Hiro scoffed.

“Just drop by the robotics lab when you feel like it,” Gogo pressed on. “And woman up.”

Hiro, unenthusiastic, bid his friend good night. Gogo jumped on her bike and zoomed off, already forming her subtle plan.

Hiro made his way down the dark, empty street. It’s unusually quiet at this hour and he shivered a little from the cool evening breeze. He glanced at the cherry blossom trees, so distracted by his thoughts that he didn’t see where he was going. He bumped into someone and he stumbled backwards, dropping his battlebot.

“Dude! Watch it!” he snapped before picking up Megabot. He then looked up to see the stranger.

It was a young man who appeared to be of mixed Japanese and Caucasian descent. He’s wearing a black baseball cap on his head and a blazer over a shirt and dark pants. He would have looked faint visible burnt scar was spread from his neck to a bit of his face.

Hiro noticed the man was staring at him oddly and he has a strange feeling about him which he couldn’t figure out.

“Sorry, I didn’t notice you,” the man said, bowing politely a bit.

“Well, don’t scare me like that,” Hiro said as he edged around him nervously. “I thought you were one of those botfighters who had a problem with me.”

“Been hustling them, knucklehead?” the man asked, a faint smile on his lips.

Hiro stared at him suspiciously. “None of your business.”

The man quickly grabbed his arm. Hiro grew frightened.

“Hiro… do you know who I am?” he asked quietly.

Hiro looked closely at the stranger’s face. There’s something vaguely familiar about him, but he was more creeped out rather than curious.

“Should I?” Hiro questioned. “I don’t even know your name.”

“You can call me Yokai.’’

That name sound weird to Hiro but it is not important to him at this moment. Right now, he just wants to get home. He even saw the building of the Lucky Cat café in sight.

“Well, it was nice meeting you, Mr. Yokai,” he said as he pulled away from the older guy’s grip.

“Wait, I want to talk to you for a bit. Is that alright with you?” Yokai asked. Then he motioned Hiro to follow him.

Hiro hesitated before catching up to him. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see soon.”

The two walked further away from Hiro’s neighborhood before taking a ride on the trolley car. Hiro sat far away from stranger since he still doesn’t completely trust him. He avoided his eyes by just staring at the beautiful, glowing city lights.

* * *

Soon, both of them got off the trolley and Yokai led Hiro down a block into campus which Hiro immediately realized where he’s being taken to.

“What are we doing at this nerd school?” he demanded. He couldn’t believe this scarred weirdo brought him here of all places.

The man took Hiro around the campus a bit before stopping at a bridge where a glass building was seen in the distance. He leaned against the railing; he has been quiet during the entire journey and he was starting to get on Hiro’s nerves.

“So, are you a kidnapper or did Gogo hire you to convince me to come here?” Hiro asked.

“No, it’s neither of those reasons,” Yokai replied. Hiro didn’t notice it earlier but the man is carrying a thick notebook under his arm.

“I don’t understand,” Hiro said as he lazily toyed with his battlebot.

Yokai then turned to Hiro. His face darkened.

“Hiro,” he began in a serious tone. “What is more important to you? Doing what’s right, or doing something for your own interest?”

Hiro became quiet. He was confused from this vague question. He wanted some explanation but Yokai is waiting for his answer.

“I-I guess… Doing what’s right,” he stammered. He glanced guiltily at his Megabot, thinking of those times he worried Aunt Cass for nearly getting himself trouble and not doing things more productive with his talents. “I guess it’s more selfish if you only think about your own interests and not about others.”

“Even if people would hurt you?” Yokai asked quietly.

Now even more confused, Hiro shook his head. “What are you talking about…?”

“It’s okay, you'll understand one day,” Yokai sighed, interrupting him

He then took off his baseball cap and placed it on Hiro’s head. And then he gave Hiro the notebook. Inside the notebook is envelope that seemed to be carrying some sort flat chip. “This is my gift to you. I hope you will find it useful for you. I know you can build this easily. You were always smarter than me since we were little."

He adjusted the cap on Hiro's head to make sure it fitted him.

"Eventually, we might become enemies... You'll have to make a choice," Yokai warned him. "I'm not giving up on you, Hiro.”

“Huh?”

Yokai gave Hiro a regretful smile, his eyes filled with tears. Then he turned around and ran away before Hiro can stop him. Hiro watched him leave, now left behind on the bridge. He then skimmed through the pages of the notebook and saw some hastily written notes for building a robot called “Baymax”.

Curiosity sparked inside Hiro. He wanted to know some answers about the mysterious man and why he gave him instructions to build a robot. Some parts looked so advanced he doesn’t even know where to get them. He looked at the glass building in the distance and he remembered Gogo’s words about a robotics lab.

 _Well, she did wanted me to drop by and check the place out,_ he thought. _Great, I might get to see her nerd lab._

Swallowing his courage, he slowly made his way towards the robotics lab, unaware of the new friends he will meet and who would never leave his side.

Hiding from behind a tree, Tadashi Hamada—who now calls himself “Yokai”--watched his little brother walking up the steps into the place where he belonged.

This dimension he fell into is strange from where he came from. Some things are different but it doesn’t bother him. Now he can try to make everything right for him without fail this time.

He doesn't believe in dead ends.

He smiled to himself before he disappeared into the night.

**_The End._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((And there you have it, the real ending of this fanfic! Once again, thank you for reading this to the very end!))


End file.
